Ultrasonic thickness testing the steel hull plates on the trawler 

To any company that sponsors Dangar Marine consider it a good investment. I enjoy his videos and would seriously consider purchasing any tools and materials he would use. I am sure a lot of viewers would.

Good to see reputable new sponsors getting on board with Stu's project. The Checkline unit looks like a quality item.

During my time in the Royal Navy, I had the dubious pleasure of serving on an Aircraft Carrier, the whole surface off the flight deck needed to be stripped of it's paint, and those needle guns were the weapon of choice - what an incredible noise that was. Because they were powered by compressed air, they acquired the nickname of "Windy hammers".

I wasn't ever planning on buying a steel hulled boat, especially a old one and watching this series has reinforced my opinion on the subject. But I love hard work, so I could watch you do it all day.

You have a really good community surrounding your channel, it’s a small community but it’s a loyal one, which is good to have

Best boat videos on youtube , the guy is honest and open about his mistakes , shows you all the down and dirty work it takes to get the job done ....highlight of my day is seeing a new video from him 👍

How you do not have a small army of volunteer workers is beyond me. If I lived near you I'd happily spend some of my time off helping out. Can't get enough of this project.

I had to prep a steel boom boat tug before a sandblaster came in to clean it, and the needle gun is what we used, worked great. We tried a creeper but it would not roll due to the crud coming off the hull so we modded the creeper to take 8" hand truck pnematic wheels, and it worked great. Also we put a curtain up off the gunale of the boat down to the ground, used respirators which kept the mess in as well as a lot of the noise. There is no replacement for true sandblasting on a boat, the employer tried to have me clean it with a wet blaster, and in the end brought in a sandblaster.

I professionally sandblasted for several years, mostly heavy equipment but if you need any tips don't hesitate to ask. If you're going to be hiring someone with a professional rig (600 lb pressure pot and towed compressor) you are absolutely wasting your time with the needle gun. The sandblaster is going to cut through it so effortlessly. I have had mixed results with wet blasting however my equipment was not the best and I was primarily working on residential brick for graffiti removal.

I'm actually in the market for a tester and was on the fence about a few. But I'm sold on the check line thanks to being made in the USA and your review.

Great video! Tip: add cayenne pepper powder to marine hull paint. (If you're repainting the hull). Barnacles won't be an issue anymore.

I've got to the point now where I click 'like' before I even watch the video. I know it's going to be good stuff through and through.

Cool demonstration of the ultrasonic tester Stu. This is one way that aircraft are checked for stress cracks in the skin.

Thank you Checkline. When I'm ready for a tester....your my guys.

I watch these videos even though I know nothing about boats, keep up the great content!

for your own records its good to have a sketch of the hull and keep a semi accurate diagram of where you have tested and those readings, makes life a hell of a lot easier a few years down the line, i manage a few charter boats some of which are steal and having to haul them out often but if u have records you can plan years ahead... happy needling brother, if you ever in zanzibar look me up , would love to buy you a beer...

The needlegun work is very satisfying to watch, seeing all the crap fly off.

That was really interesting. I don't throw much about steel boats, but the surveying of the steel thickness was fascinating to me, thank you for sharing.

Great video. You are managing to provide real insights into your project without going into too much repetitive detail. Keep up the great work. Cheers.

I liked your presentation, mate. It's easy to be seduced by pedantics such as grit blasting. For over 20 years I learned that the VIP element of being a capable Rust Doctor is [1] You must kill the rust stone dead. Imagine a stream of electrons emanating from a point on a steel plate. (It's a nano battery) . If you zoom in (in your mind's eye) you will see a pit (crater) with a tiny black dot down the bottom. That's what you've got to get out. Grit blasting won't remove chloride ions buried deep in a substrate, just push them in further. After you grit blast, watch it blush in a couple of hours. If you try to chemically 'convert' it, the whole surface will turn black. The most effective cure for killing rust is phosphoric acid 10 molar 9:1 diluted with water. Prove it by leaving it unattended for 6 months or so. Overcoat with Wattyl EPUP (olive green) 15% thinned with L760 applied by brush. Image you're fibreglassing and 'wet it out'. Do it once = do it only once. You would need to pay very particular attention to that area under the stern gland. If it was mine, I would replace that panel with 6mm 316. Good to watch a fellow marine enthusiast. Hope I haven't bored you with my didacticism. A good blast job will leave you in peace for a couple of years. That ultrasonic meter is good stuff. If you need a lesson in strengths of steel, watch a few Smit salvage videos. 3.6mm steel impregnated with ch+. ions can tear like wet cardboard with a force majeure.

Can't wait to see this all painted up and on the water.

That was a great intro to ultrasonic thickness testing. Really useful.

Today is a good day. Cheers for getting the vid out.

I'm in mate! You got me hooked and I cant wait until the next video. Be safe and rock on!

What a wonderful surprise! Best show in town, hope more people kick in to support this excellent adventure.

For what it's worth, about 20 years ago I worked on a grey ship that went into dry dock over at Garden Island. All the paint (plus attached marine life) was blasted from the bottom of the hull using wet blasting. The two part primer was then applied without further dry blasting for added key.

Thanks for the video. I appreciate you taking us along on the adventure. Looks like you've lost a bit of weight. Don't spend all the money on the boat get some good food too!!!!!! Glad you are making progress. Looking forward to the next few videos.

Congratulations on the birthday here from Denmark

1/8th inch thick. Battleships had 12, 14, sometimes 16 inches of protective steel plate on their hull! I guess Stu wont have to worry about torpedoes. Love the vids. Keep 'em coming.

Big admiration for a true grafter with some considerable skill and problem solving ability. If only for your health, make sure your needle scaler is high quality or wrapped in some kind of insulating material (cheap pipe lagging is good). That amount of scaling will give you serious white finger and possibly damage the cartilage in your fingers which would be a tragedy for a guy like you. Big thumbs up from the uk, Mark.

Another really good video Stu, glad the deck plate checked OK.

That Check Line unit is impressive!

I'm eager to see the rest of the hull blastered and ready to paint, a real cliffhanger 😃 Great video Stu 👍

Thanks for sharing Stu, that tool has more uses than just boating I'd say. I'm a trucker here in the US and own a 1994 Mack CH since new. I could use that on parts of my truck and trailer.

Stu this project deserves it's own tv show. Great update as always 👍

I’ve got a buddy that’s a car hauler and he literally was at the mercy of the repair shop that wrote the proposal to replace sections of steel tubing. If he had that sweet CheckLine thickness tester he could have comfortably done the work himself. I will be telling him about that tool!

What a great piece of kit. Can't think what I'd use it for but want one anyway. Love your videos despite not being a boat owner. Hope that heat wave is on the way out. We just had one in the UK. 20° centigrade in February, record! Look forward to the next one.

This is a great site for people like me who would love to be messing about with a boat but do not have one, or any water nearby.

Thanks CheckLine USA for helping this lad out

AHA! The man does wear PPE! I just found this channel this week and caught up with the refurb series, I was worried you weren't wearing PPE during some of the more dangerous activities! Good stuff!

As a seaman in the USN we had to strip the flight deck and fantail of a light cruiser. It had multiple coats of sandy non-skid and paint. We used pier supplied compressors, Jack hammers, needle guns, sanders, etc for several days. Years later I met a guy who berthed below the deck and he mentioned the noise!

The hits just keep coming good shit stu👌

Stueeyyyyyy. Killing it brotha. Loving this series man.

These vids make my day! needed this :)

Good on Checkline for supporting this project. Huge exposure.

Great videos, really like them!

I'm really enjoying this series. I don't usually see a steel boat where I live.

Love this series. Three cheers for sponsors!

Another awesome video

Fantastic episode!

I spent several days of my life with the needle gun back by the shaft on the USNS Concord, on the island of Guam. I was listening to the BBC recording of Led Zeppelin on headset. Another thing we have in common. Thanks for the memories. You haven’t crawled thru the engine up to clean the smokestack yet, I’ll be blown away, when you do that. I have a nail gun. Hope I don’t have to use it again; but I’ll use your tip, to watch that little screw. Mate!

That needle gun brings back memories for me personally. I was in the Navy and needle guns were the paint maintenance go to tool. We also had deck crawlers for the flat horizontal surfaces. both did great work for paint prep. I wish I had a buck for every time I used one. That metal thickness tester is one of your best tools to use for hull survey too. Good job mate.

Nice work!!!

Well done .. Love to watch these vids

Nice one Checkline!!!

this is so fascinating to watch. Cant wait to see the end result. Fantastic series Stu.

I give you tons of credit sir with regards to this steel boat project. I literally get anxiety watching you rip things apart and unravel issue after issue that needs to be fixed and it not even my boat or project to work on. ;😂.. You are doing an amazing job keeping at it because I think I'd have already given up. Keep up the amazing work sir..

What a great idea ! Thanks, Check Line 👍

Here is a MT tester (magnetic partical). This can be used to check for cracks in welds. There is another way too. Dye penetrate which you apply the dye the use like a black light to find cracks. I'd prefer the MT, more fun and quick to use. Good for a video either way😎

well i'm just itchin to see this wet blast process and then the rest of the readings! Hats off to checkline for sending that along as it certainly gives you good data and obviously something worth having. LIke the comments below on the needle gun use...and that looks like "the" tool for that job. This is good stuff!! thanks again for sharing

Great videos keep them coming

Great video and good to know and learn...thanks

Great Vid Stu....& well done to Check Line for supporting you

Oh the neighbors are going to love you lol might want to take frequent breaks from the scaling just to keep peace in the neighborhood . Here's hoping you continue to get good news as you press on

great Vid and info Stu nice bit of kit ya got there

Nice tool, very useful.

Excellent video thanks for producing

Good on ya stu. Thanks mate. Really good stuff to know

I believe your hull going to be fine mate. Other than some rust and scale, the steel looks like it is in tact. You have a lot of cleanup ahead but it’s going to be worth the effort. Thanks for letting us look over your shoulder.

Your videos are the best !..Friggin love em

Enjoy these vids a lot just need more ,one a week not enough !

That was really nice of the company to give it to you. I will look into one for myself. I told you not to get bummed out. People from around the world are pulling for you to do a great job and in the end have a good steel boat of your dreams. Thumbs up from the US :)

I would suggest that prior to painting your hull that you weld a stud to the hull near the stuffing box {one on each side of the box} then after you paint the hull, bolt some zinc anodes.

Thanks again for a very interesting episode about the easy laid back lifestyle of boat ownership

you arekillin' it Stu, love the videos.....looks like it's warm down there....I usually wouldn't be jealous of someone sweating their tail off but I just shoveled a foot of snow off my boat so I kinda am just a bit jealous. Good luck, hope you make heaps of progress this week!

Great to see the face shield Stu , great channel, legend.

Great vid Stu That Check Line unit does a great job of measuring the thickness of the steel. Very interesting video

Great video 👍👍

I need a thickness tester in my life. Very cool piece of kit.

good for you, glad that steel checked out.

Thank you Checkline

Good job

That is a very kewl tool...will definitely be checking out Checkline's products :)

way to go, Checkline!

Can vouch for the quality and accuracy of the Checkline tester. I hired one to inspect my compressor reservoirs for any wastage and found it so quick,easy and accurate to use. Best thing was it was acceptable to my insurance company to arty out the testing. Reservoirs were all good so happy days all round!

Stu... nice trial hull survey in the engine room. 👍🏻 Good plan to undertake a full survey after you descale and blast.

Another awesome vid Stu! Glad you decided to needle gun the boat yourself.

Really happy the hull plate worked out to be OK... Onward and forward...

great video

Thanks Checkline.

Shorter hair works for you. Glad to see you have another sponsor. Looking forward to the blasting.

Wet garnet sand blast. Use a service. The time saved offsets the seemingly higher cost. If you wet blast with your equipment make sure to use a ceramic tip or the garnet will blow through a steel tip.

Great video. I love using the needle gun too. It is amazing how much they can do.

Great that you have this useful tool, I remember working on the deep sea trawlers, we would work our nuts off all day to expose a crankshaft journal etc. For the surveyor to check......he would come along in his pristine white boiler suit, take out his toffee hammer, and after a couple of taps would wander back to wherever he came from!

Thanks for the video. 👍

hope you had a great birthday stu all the best from us Brits great video cheers

Super videos. This is a great combination of expertise, methodology and problem-solving techniques. Thanks!

Ayy we call the creeper the same thing in our shop and I'm from the states, im really enjoying this build up I've always been in to smaller boats but man I really want to get a older trawler what an awesome boat an engine

Love your vids

I don’t own a boat (though I’m very interested in sailing), but I so genuinely enjoy this channel and this project. Your kind character shines through and I admire your grit and willingness to try new processes in the spirit of learning - and teaching! Thank you for this.