No Osmosis here either, this is delamination as a result of poor wetting out and consequently a lack of bonding between the layers of laminate in the hull of a brand new motor yacht straight from the factory; just because it is a new boat with a dry hull does not mean that it does not have an underlying problem.


Above left a 95 foot motor yacht with underwater hull modifications, which had not been gelled, with the underlying mat strands clearly visible. Above right with the outer skin removed the damage of water ingress into this foam core can be clearly seen, local moisture readings and hammer soundings identified the presence of this defect.


The point I am trying to make is that the surveyor should know what he has found and also how to present this information in his report. Great care must be taken to avoid missing these defects because to do so can lead to a claim against you or even leave you open to legal action. Randomly removing paint from the outer bottom is very hit and miss, relying on your moisture meter alone is fraught with danger and tapping with your hammer is dependent on your interpretation of the sound, the ‘Mark 1 eye ball’, is all very good but not if you cannot see what is going on under the paint or inside the structure, you should behave like a forensic scientist looking for clues at the potential scene of a crime,


use ‘all the means at your disposal’ to draw a picture of what you may be facing.


For example on one occasion a surveyor identified an area of high moisture in a hull port side, forward at the turn of bilge, after removing the paint and then the gel and eventually the outer laminate without result. This caused him to suspect some other cause, which turned out to be internally moulded in ballast, ‘Oops’. On another occasion I was requested to give a second opinion to a surveyor’s findings of a serious defect giving high moisture readings along the whole port bilge chine of a motor vessel. When I inspected the vessel I found that all the battery and power


supply cables were run internally along the bilge chine as far as the bow thruster and this was affecting the meter readings he had obtained.


There have been many more examples over the years, but to conclude, it is wise to say what you see and essential that you understand what you find and also to ensure that the client is aware of what you could not see and therefore do not know.


Explain the Limitations of Survey and the Circumstances in your report, also ensure that if you fail to find any signs of hull blistering or serious defects this does not preclude the possibility of these arising in the future.


The Report • September 2019 • Issue 89 | 45


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