CHAPTER 4
BOAT REPAIR AND DECK COVERINGS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter; you will be able to do the following:
Describe the techniques and materials used to repair small craft.
Describe the applications of plastic boats and the procedures used to con-
struct and repair plastic boats.
Recognize the fundamental principles of metal boat repairs and discuss the
safety equipment and procedures used.
Describe the preliminary preparations to be made before laying deck cover-
ings.
Describe the application and installation procedures of tiles and nonskid
surfaces.
boats carried aboard ship. Since inflatable boats are
INTRODUCTION
covered in Basic Military Requirements, NAVED-
As a Hull Maintenance Technician aboard ship
TRA 12043, they will not be discussed in this text.
and IMAs, you must be familiar with the procedures
You will be able to make repairs more intelligently
used in making repairs to small boats, because you will
if you understand the general principles of boat
be called upon to make emergency and permanent
construction. This information will help you learn the
repairs on wooden, metal, and plastic boats. Each boat
names of the parts of boats, boat fastenings, and other
repair job presents a unique problem, depending on
terms used by boat builders.
the type of boat and the nature of the damage to be
repaired. In doing any repair work, the goal is to make
When the construction of a boat is authorized by
the boat as strong and seaworthy as possible. You may
NAVSEA, the boat is assigned a BOAT NUMBER.
also be required to repair or even replace deck
You will usually find the number cut on the inboard
coverings. We will discuss the repairs of deck
face of the keel, apron, or keelson.
coverings later in this chapter. Right now, let us look
at boat repairs. The material in this chapter consists
The label plate is usually secured in a conspicuous
chiefly of examples of small boat repairs and cannot
location near the steering control station. This label
be taken as step-by-step directions for repairing all
contains the following information:
types of damage to all boats.
Boat repairs vary and may include repairing
Length and type of boat
structural members, removing and replacing damaged
Boat registry number
planking, caulking seams, making soft patches, and
making plastic repairs.
Maximum capacity (number of personnel)
The types of boats in current use by the Navy
Builder (usually a boat building contractor)
include fast patrol boats used for inshore and riverine
warfare, landing craft carried for amphibious use,
NAVSEA plan number (used for construction)
motor whaleboats, utility boats, and motor boats.
Figures 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and 4-5 show some of the
Date completed
4-1