1994 55 Person Enclosed Lifeboat Liveaboard Conversion Hull Integrity Advice

[Nay-Myers]

Hi, I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place, but I am seeking some advice on a potential lifeboat purchase.
I can see some patchy discolouration around the keel and below the waterline. Is this something that can be fixed with some sanding and a re-application of gelcoat & paint? or is it likely it will need more extensive work?
Is this kind of marking indicative of loss of hull integrity or should this be okay?
I'm aware the rest of the upper probably has some oxidation and UV damage (if anyone can confirm this it's appreciated)
I don't mind restoring through what could be considered routine maintenance, but would rather avoid if it needs something like full re-lamination.
Would appreciate any insight into this.
Cheers.

 

[Tranona]

GRP is pretty robust stuff and I would guess that the boat has spent most of its life out of the water so there is unlikely to have any structural issues. The normal approach is to have a surveyor check it over for soundness of the laminate and taking moisture readings. Remedial work under the waterline where coatings have been applied is to blast it clean back to the original gel coat and then apply a protective coating before antifouling. Above the waterline should respond to hard graft cleaning, possibly cutting back and polishing. alternatively it may well be worth considering painting.

 

[Bajansailor]

It looks like she used to be fitted on the Brent Bravo oil rig platform - here is a neat video of the platform being decommissioned by the Pioneering Spirit.

This thread on the Boat Design Forum in the USA might be of interest to you - it includes links to some other lifeboat conversions as well.
https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/lifeboat-conversion-to-a-houseboat-during-covid.65166/

 

[RunAgroundHard]

There are better condition retired lifeboats than this one, to be bought. A quick google of "ex lifeboats for sale Aberdeen" (lots stored in many yards), or similar phrase will show that. The lifeboat you are looking at would not have been treated with care when the Brent Bravo arrived at Teesmouth, Able Seaton. Although stripped before dismantling the steel work, the removal of equipment was pretty rough and ready.

At the end of the platform life, which took a few years, the maintenance budget was stripped right back and items like this had the bare amount of inspection, the minimum to meet regulatory requirements and were not change at end of life, but extended. I may very well have been in that very lifeboat.

GRP repair is straightforward enough and the GRP on that hull can likely be cleaned up with hard graft, as per Post No 2. However, there are better condition lifeboats to be bought and if you are serious about owning an ex lifeboat, definitely shop around before parting with cash. There are some good YouTube Videos of lifeboat refurbishment and subsequent voyages. A word of warning, they need to be ballasted as they are light when not filled with personnel, but they will work safely if empty. They will also be very loud inside as there was minimum insulation around the engine, hence that will need to be addressed if relevant to your end use requirements. Combustion air for the engine is from compressed air bottles as they were designed to move through gas clouds or fire on the sea surface, then when safe, one of the hatches opened to allow air in. Hence, you will need to fit vents or run with the door open. Fuel capacity is not significant, typically 24 hours, as quick rescue was anticipated. The stress areas in GRP was around the release mechanism foundations. Over the years it was discovered that the GRP around the release hooks on the hull had weakened and cracked due to poor practise when hoisting into the davits after testing; of course this area is not relevant anymore and could be easily fixed.

Example WATERCRAFT EX TOTALLY ENCLOSED LIFEBOAT, Stonehaven,Aberdeenshire. - Advert 128041

 

[DinghyMan]

https://www.youtube.com/@AlexHibbertOriginals makes interesting watching if you want to see the issues in converting a lifeboat for a specialist trip

 

[RunAgroundHard]

The Brent Charlie platform was lifted off its gravity base and is now on its way to Teeside for dismantling. There will be 5 or 6 newer lifeboats available in a month or so. Over 90% of the three sister platforms, A, B and D have been recycled. End of an era but the legs from B, C and D are still in place, being the tops of concrete gravity base structures with no solutions in place to deal with them, beyond capping the tops and fitting warning lights. The legs are the top of a concrete structure that is a wide base, with large cells, open to the sea, that was used to store oil. They were sunk in place and it is doubtful they could be de ballasted to float again. Alpha was a steel gravity base and recovered.

Brent Charlie topside removed from North Sea by Pioneering Spirit