Category Archives: Yacht Safety

These posts are all about the experiences that we have at Fieldhouse Yacht Surveys that relate to the safety of boats. We also write about some of the defects and neglected systems & hardware of boats that we survey. Within the post we will always recommend solutions to these defects, often referencing best-practise techniques and standards from the Marine Industry.

Poorly Maintained Gas System on a Yacht

The vessel used to be fitted with a gas-powered cabin heater, but the heater unit had been removed at some time in the vessel's life. The gas supply pipe had been partially removed, but only up to the nearby isolation valve. The valve was then held in the closed position by a short length of steel wire.
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Check the bow roller for cracks

[caption id="attachment_416" align="alignnone" width="722"] Cracks in Forestay Chain Plate Fabrication[/caption] The damage of the bow roller shown in the photograph above was found during an Insurance Survey of a 1976 Westerly Berwick, a British built, masthead rigged sailing yacht with cast iron bilge keels. During the inspection of the rigging chain plates it was found that there were…
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Water Trap in Gas Locker Drain

Thankfully I don't come across this defect very often. It is probably something that many owners would never notice as everything looks as though it is in good order. Having said this, the hose in this photo of a gas locker drain should be of the reinforced type. Also, two hose clips should be used…
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Perished Fuel Filler Cap Seal

Diesel or Petrol fuel filler caps are often located on an exposed area of horizontal deck or cockpit floor, particularly on sailing yachts. I recently performed a pre-purchase survey on a Nauticat Pilothouse Ketch, located at Woolverstone Marina, Ipswich. The image below shows the perished Fuel Filler Cap Seal of the starboard fuel tank of this motor-sailer. Note that…
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