Asbestos in your boat.
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:45 am
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-18/p ... ll/7636922
It's timely with this report to remind everyone, particularly new 563 owners that asbestos was a common filler used in FG boats back in the Investigators day. You can't say for sure its in your boat, but consider the possibility when doing ANY REPAIR or mods to your vessel. It was used as a filler to bulk out filleting around jointed areas mostly and Spritzig has lots of rough areas under the floor that I'm suspicious of.
In the years before I retired full time I did some casual maintenance work with a government dept. I was staggered at the ignorance of people, even those charged with occupational safety , regarding asbestos. If you even suspect you are dealing with it leave it alone , get professional advice or at the very least take proper precautions re masks protective clothing and above all keep it wet . On other boat sites it is suggested any cutting in old FG boats should be done with hand drill starter hole and then hand hack saw. Electric tools are an effective way to dust the entire inside of your boat. The early days of asbestos sheeting used hand operated guilotine style cutters which gave a clean reasonably dust free cut. The advent of power tools however meant tradies and handy people were in line for trouble.
My late dad died of lung cancer we suspect was asbestos related and my father in law, an ex dockyard worker from mesothelioma . Not nice. I've been terrified of the stuff for years. Ever since I owned cars/ trailers I always wash brakes down first when servicing them, in warm soapy water and collect the runoff in a bucket and then tip it down the sewer. My mate who was a mechanic remembers his apprenticeship at a car dealers regularly going into the workshop in a cloud of dust from brake-drums blown out with compressed air.
Sorry for grim post but thought it was worth a warning.
Edit .spelling.
It's timely with this report to remind everyone, particularly new 563 owners that asbestos was a common filler used in FG boats back in the Investigators day. You can't say for sure its in your boat, but consider the possibility when doing ANY REPAIR or mods to your vessel. It was used as a filler to bulk out filleting around jointed areas mostly and Spritzig has lots of rough areas under the floor that I'm suspicious of.
In the years before I retired full time I did some casual maintenance work with a government dept. I was staggered at the ignorance of people, even those charged with occupational safety , regarding asbestos. If you even suspect you are dealing with it leave it alone , get professional advice or at the very least take proper precautions re masks protective clothing and above all keep it wet . On other boat sites it is suggested any cutting in old FG boats should be done with hand drill starter hole and then hand hack saw. Electric tools are an effective way to dust the entire inside of your boat. The early days of asbestos sheeting used hand operated guilotine style cutters which gave a clean reasonably dust free cut. The advent of power tools however meant tradies and handy people were in line for trouble.
My late dad died of lung cancer we suspect was asbestos related and my father in law, an ex dockyard worker from mesothelioma . Not nice. I've been terrified of the stuff for years. Ever since I owned cars/ trailers I always wash brakes down first when servicing them, in warm soapy water and collect the runoff in a bucket and then tip it down the sewer. My mate who was a mechanic remembers his apprenticeship at a car dealers regularly going into the workshop in a cloud of dust from brake-drums blown out with compressed air.
Sorry for grim post but thought it was worth a warning.
Edit .spelling.