Tasmania sets new safety benchmark for used boats
Tasmanians will soon have to say if the boat they are selling is seaworthy, and buyers will need to agreeTasmanians buying, selling or registering a used boat will soon need to tell the state’s maritime watchdog if the vessel is in a seaworthy state or not.
The new move will require second-hand boat buyers and sellers, or anyone re-registering one, to separately tell Maritime and Safety Tasmania if the boat is seaworthy or not within 14 days of the vessel being sold.
The move will give the state Australia’s toughest used boat laws, and comes on the back of a 2019 coroner’s finding that was highly critical of poor used boat safety standards.
In the wake of an inquest into the unexplained deaths of four people who headed out in a boat that had been recently bought second-hand, the coroner called on buyers to have boats professionally inspected to ensure they were seaworthy.
The inquest found that it was likely that an overpowered outboard engine combined with a structurally weak transom had contributed to the tragedy.
After the inquest, the Tasmanian government wrote to owners of boats aged more than 15 years old asking them to inspect their hulls to ensure they had not suffered any structural damage as they aged.
According to MAST, a boat will be considered unseaworthy if in the opinion of a reasonable person:
- The structural condition of the vessel, or a component of the vessel, that renders the vessel unfit to undertake a voyage for which the vessel is otherwise designed and would be, if not in that condition, capable of undertaking.
- The engine power rating of the vessel, as recommended by the manufacturer or recorded on the Australian Builders Plate (a plaque that lists the maximum rated engines and weights for the boat) is being exceeded.
- The engine mass of the vessel, as recommended by the manufacturer or recorded on the ABP, is being exceeded.
- The absence or condition of materials or items comprising the reserve buoyancy, or part of the reserve buoyancy, of the vessel.
It means both buyers and sellers will need to physically inspect a boat before signing on the bottom line. The change also makes note that boats built before the ABP setting minimum standards for flotation were introduced in 2006, many boats built before this date “may not have sufficient buoyancy in the event of a capsize or swamping”.
What to watch out for when buying a used boat
Aluminium boats
- Look for electrolysis and fractured welds. Electrolysis will cause the aluminium to corrode and is caused by dissimilar metals and debris being in contact. Keep a regular check on the hull. It is especially important to maintain a clean bilge as corrosion will lead to holes in the aluminium.
- Hard points where seats, the frame or the ribs connect to side and bottom plating will often cause the plate to fatigue and crack.
Fibreglass boats
- Two problems are common to older fibreglass boats. These are delamination, which can lead to the rotting of the timber core material, and cracks in the glass laminate.
- Transom cores should be looked at especially if the boat’s outboard engine has been changed or removed sometime during the boat’s life. The engine mounting bolts should be removed and the timber inside the fibreglass inspected to ensure it is not wet. Water trapped inside the transom can cause the timber to rot and reduce the structural integrity of the hull.
- Remove transom-mounted bilge drain plugs and the floor, and inspect for delamination and rotting.
- Fibreglass stress fractures can occur where point loads exist, such as bulkheads, so inspect these areas for cracks and movement.
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