Boating articles with tips and guidelines for awesome boating experiences
A marine surveyor is a person who conducts inspections of marine vessels to evaluate and report on their condition and the products in them. They examine the underwater section of hull while the ship is docked. Underwater parts that are checked include the tail shaft, propellers, rudders, and sea valves. The above water sections that are checked include hatchways, free ports, ventilators, bulkheads, and fittings. The surveyor also checks machinery and how it is operating. It is their responsibility to make sure safety standards are met. After inspections, the marine surveyor prepares reports and makes suggestions for repairs that need to be made and actions that need to be taken. They also survey harbors, rivers, and other bodies of water to help determine topography, and the depth of the water and even to decide where the shoreline is.
I have just returned from a boat delivery that took me from Boca Raton, Florida to a Marina on the C&D Canal, a major shipping canal between the upper Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. During this 7 day trip, I traveled outside on the Ocean and in the Intracoastal Waterway through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Running outside, with the exception of the seas being occasionally rough (7 to 9 ft in places), was not eventful. The inside trip I found to be very eventful as I had the chance to observe Captains, Owners and Mates operating their boats and yachts. Overall, they all did really good but there were some very scary, yet entertaining and educational events that happened.
There is evil lurking in your bilges. The unassuming Sump Tank is the holder of things that you may not want to know about.
