APPLICATION SPOTLIGHT – DUTCH-STYLE STEEL NARROWBOAT

Registered Marine Surveyor, Nick Vass MIIMS, conducted a recent survey of a 62′ steel Dutch-style narrowboat “Jan van der HrrM” which was constructed in 2005.

The survey took place in drydock, earlier this year, using a Cygnus 4 General Purpose ultrasonic thickness gauge to measure the thickness of the hullÂ’s steel plating, rudder blade and superstructure.

The outside of the hull was coated with primer, epoxy resin and either a gloss paint or bitumen-based blacking anti-fouling paint. Despite worn paintwork, Nick Vass was able to ignore these layers of coatings using the Cygnus 4 ultrasonic thickness gauge and measured only the remaining metal thickness. This helped identify reduction in thickness between 0.1 and 0.8 mm.

Nick Vass also used the Cygnus 4 gauge to check the narrowboatÂ’s superstructure including the vesselÂ’s deck, cockpit soles and gunwales. Again, the superstructure had coatings of primer, epoxy resin and gloss paint which the Cygnus 4 gauge effortlessly read through before giving reliable readings of the material thickness.

With the multiple echo technique, Cygnus 4 General Purpose ultrasonic thickness gauge provides accurate and reliable thickness measurement through coatings up to 20 mm thick. Users can operate the gauge easily in all lighting conditions, thanks to its easy to use keypad and intuitive menu in a large LCD display. Certified to IP67 and the demanding US MIL STD 810G, the gauge body has been designed to be comfortable to hold and protects against bumps whilst offering maximum strength with its hard internal shell.