rate this weld ?

[Richard.]

Less skilled definitely but less effort certainly not. It must of taken forever to produce that shambles of a joint splat after splat.

 

[Bill Edwards]

It's one thing on a non critical parts, but surely only the most incomprehensibly stupid would think it OK to attempt something like tack welds with a toy MIG on something important such as this.
If that look was considered important then even an idiot would think to weld it properly first then just use this method to make a pretty finish that wouldn't have a negative effect on the strength - without a fair few amps you'd probably want to do more than one run on that join anyway!

 

[Richard.]

Less skilled definitely but less effort certainly not. It must of taken forever to produce that shambles of a joint splat after splat.

I meant the way he has done it is less skilled not the way it should of been done. That post did not read well

 

[julianthegypsy]

all they need to do is remove some trim ballast to adjust I would not like the bottom of my boat 6mm because of the base rubbing as canals are not maintained very well nowadays and the s**t wear the bottoms out there are a couple of canals up here that are concrete based and the boats only have a few inches of clearance so if the canal hasnt been topped up the boats wear themselves away.

Yes, that's true, but you're adding 6mm to steel that is already at least 4mm. If it's worse than that I've seen them fixed by chopping off the whole of the bottom and redoing it up to the waterline, it's a pig of a job!

 

[sardine]

Our freind used a murex tradesmig 151.

 

[Richard.]

Our freind used a murex tradesmig 151.

Could be worse. It could of been an 80 amp wolf

 

[mr migwire]

i think that just makes it all the worse sardine, the old addage.. all the gear and no idea springs to mind.

 

[Richard.]

i think that just makes it all the worse sardine, the old addage.. all the gear and no idea springs to mind.

But he didn't have the gear either.
A 150 amp mig is not the tackle for that sort of work. I'd be thinking a 3phase machine with a 400 amp belt at the top end.

 

[normspanners]

6mm to steel that is already at least 4mm.

The 'At least' maybe 0 mm ( or less!!) HA most people only repair when the boat starts to fill up and the bilge pump runs for too long
This is the one we did

 

[norlander]

whats the actual function of the bit welded on?
is it a rubbing strip that may have to be replaced later?
is it on a finished boat?
would fully welding it pass any collision shock direct to the hull if it did not shear off?
if its an addition to a finished boat has a continous run been avoided because of insulation etc on interior of hull?
was it friday arternoon?

 

[julianthegypsy]

Looks like a tidy job Normspanners! I'm no expert, but my landlords used to spit a hull out every ten days, so whenever I was over there I'd ask questions, as you do, and I also paid attention to their welding, which was beautiful without exception. I was constantly amazed that huge sheets of steel would be pushed in on a forklift, and ten days later this perfect hull would be wheeled out. They had an old truck front axle with the steering welded up, so that went on one end and forklift with a hook on the other and they could wheel it wherever they liked. Very slick!

 

[normspanners]

whats the actual function of the bit welded on?
is it a rubbing strip that may have to be replaced later?
is it on a finished boat?
would fully welding it pass any collision shock direct to the hull if it did not shear off?
if its an addition to a finished boat has a continous run been avoided because of insulation etc on interior of hull?
was it friday arternoon?

the base plate wear and corrode away due to not being painted, no point as the paint doesnt last a few days because of the constant rubbing
the original plate is painted on the inside and concrete bricks or steel /lead etc is loaded on it to ballast and trim the boat,
no it is not on a finished new shell. The new pieces weld has to be sealed to keep the boat from sinking because people usually leave it till it springs a leak, because of the above reasons ,so if the new plate leaks or cracks so does the boat.
As said the thicker the better, it is just down to cost, just think what 16mm plate 70ft x6ft would cost, most are 10mm, cheap ones are 8mm we used 12mm

 

[PhillipM]

Makes you wonder why they don't run bolt on skid plates?

 

[normspanners]

Looks like a tidy job Normspanners! I'm no expert, but my landlords used to spit a hull out every ten days, so whenever I was over there I'd ask questions, as you do, and I also paid attention to their welding, which was beautiful without exception. I was constantly amazed that huge sheets of steel would be pushed in on a forklift, and ten days later this perfect hull would be wheeled out. They had an old truck front axle with the steering welded up, so that went on one end and forklift with a hook on the other and they could wheel it wherever they liked. Very slick!

We had major issues with this one the floor was nowhere near flat and the hull had to be built corner to corner in the building it ended up 68 ft because the building was abit short I had to take one of the doors off to get it out !!
The way I did it was made some HUGE trestles and suspended the sides off stud iron under the trestles that was so that it could be adjusted level and square in all planes then the base panels where slid under and joined together in a strip, then the base was slowly lifted up to the sides then tacked so that the unwelded bit hung down like a large tongue and could be lifted and worked then tacked and slowly worked up to form the hull.
The floor being out and twisted about 6ins over its length made it very difficult we started the stern first and the structure began twisting and that was the first 10 ft, we had to recut the welds and force it with porta powers to straighten it.
to try and level a 6X2 mtr 12 mm floppy plate was horrendous it was taking hrs to move and wedge etc etc

 

[sardine]

I saw a narrow boat being built in the back yard of a welders I used to get my oxygen from. They had used a 8ft wide bottom plate, (the maximum width for a narroboat is 6' 10 "

And a wide beam boat is 12 ft or more ) Basically the whole thing was pointless, maybe worthless. I don't know what happened to it but they did a runner after the invoices from BOC ect started coming.

 

[norlander]

the base plate wear and corrode away due to not being painted, no point as the paint doesnt last a few days because of the constant rubbing
the original plate is painted on the inside and concrete bricks or steel /lead etc is loaded on it to ballast and trim the boat,
no it is not on a finished new shell. The new pieces weld has to be sealed to keep the boat from sinking because people usually leave it till it springs a leak, because of the above reasons ,so if the new plate leaks or cracks so does the boat.
As said the thicker the better, it is just down to cost, just think what 16mm plate 70ft x6ft would cost, most are 10mm, cheap ones are 8mm we used 12mm

I actually posed those Qs in reference to to the OP and picture-sorry should have made that clear, but as it turned out some interesting stuff came out in your posts. I can remember handling and cutting/welding plate in our minimal space yard at the place where I started my apprenticeship.
So you brought back memories there. There was a saying amongst the apprentices of other trades that good welders were 2 a penny. Maybe, but its the nouse used in getting some jobs together before welding and then welding them up so the plate does not end up like a freshly fried poppadom.
Those steel narrowboats look easy-until you get to the bow, stern and roof.

 

[normspanners]

Is it called Subarc because it's going to be submerged in water?

Ha no----------- I think the boat is going to end up a-------- sub
what they should have welded on was a periscope so that they will be able to see where they are going!!