Thread: Assessment need on floating platform in St Helens. Anyone with ideas?

Sonja,

You do need a qualified Marine Surveyor, and there should be a number of them around in St Helens and Hobart.

It would be worth knowing what material the hull is made of, as some surveyors specialise. There's no point in getting a bloke that knows all there is to know about old timber trawlers if the hull is made of steel on a commercial barge platform!

On another note, we travelled from Davenport to StHelens looking for a feed a few years ago, on New Years' day.

We walked out to "your" restaurant, to be greeted by a chalkboard which said (and this is verbatum)
"We weighed up the financial gain from opening tonight against the stress it would cause, and though
NOOOOOooooooooo."

So we ate in the pub.

Hopefully you'll be open next time we visit!

Cheers,

P

go and see a repairer ..I think there is a few down mordialloc way ...maybe talking to them would give you a better perspective, and if it were me I would ask him to fly out and have a look first hand ...expences paid of course ....it may cost you a $1000.....(meals, airfare, wages..etc)....but its way better than buying a dud.....and losing everything...and probably cheaper than hiring a marine engineer...

Hmmm, Good thought MOT. If Mahommed wont go to the mountain, we can always take the mountain to Mahommed (or some such proverby saying). You're right about cost. Better it costs a bit now than a whole lot later. Its such a crappy idea though paying for stuff if the boat and business isnt ours yet!


Oh my lord bitingmidge.....perhaps you can see why its up for sale! I promise you the best seafood dinner I can produce for your next trip down! If you see a short cook with a big long ponytail that's me. Make sure you let me know.

Ya the hull is steel with some poly pontoons under it. We're getting mixed reports on the condition and its getting a little confusing. However the only people giving us "bad" reports are those that have an ulterior motive.
there's one other person that wants to buy it but cant afford it for another 6 months and was hoping that it would still be for sale then (she told me) and the other was the bloke from the council that obviously had a personal vendetta against the original builder and current owner. Sheesh.

Its going to be a major event getting it slipped methinks as I believe it's too wide for all but possibly one slipway in St Helens.


Is a marine surveyor the same as a marine engineer?


Sonja

Sonja,

A marine surveyor is a person who is qualified to do the work, and many engineers will be surveyors if that makes sense.

Being steel, and poly, it'll need particular expertise I would have thought. Why not ask the relevant government department in Tassy for a list of Surveyors?

Is this thing registered as a ship? If so, it will need to be "in survey" to carry passengers! Bizarre though that may be, it'd be worth checking out.

Cheers,

P (Looking forward to visiting Tassie now!)

Originally Posted by frog's wife

Is a marine surveyor the same as a marine engineer?
Sonja

Yes and no Marine Engineers often become Marine surveyors as they have most of the necessary training and qualifications
You could try AMSA the australian maritime safety authority ( they will have an office in Hobart or Launceston and definately in Melbourne) to find out what are the necessary survey requierments to operate as a restaurant weather it comes under their control or the Tas Government and they could porberly steer you to the qualified surveyors available , Quite often they are happy with an underwater video , depending on how clear the water is , but whatever you do check with the relivant authority as to what you need to operate , the last thing you need is to find out the boat requires some special survey before you can operate

lets just say for safety sake ...you buy the boat ....do you have the relivant qualifications ?....in victoria, you Must have a "food handlers cert" to serve a hotdog at a stall..let alone cut a sandwich in a milkbar ...I am not sure 100%...but I think the same applies to tassie as well....in the long run you will need it to obtain a license to run the business as a food outlet..

The premises is already a registered food service business. We're looking at buying the existing business so it's already trading with the relevant permits etc. I'm qualified, just not sure about the quality of the structure under the water.

Technically, as it is permenantly moored and has had both motor and steering mechanisms removed completely, it is no longer classed as a boat so doesnt require "survey" as most marine vessels do. That's where it becomes a little "grey". As it is not on land its not a "building" according to the council and its not a boat either, so it's basically a floating platform.

It still needs anti-fouling, just for cleanliness and ability to assess the hull, man there's some monster oysters growing on it! But main concern is the integrity of the old steel pontoons underneath, which as the guys here are suggesting will need a marine engineer or surveyor, probably wont matter which as we dont have to satisfy any "authority" just ourselves as to the lifespan and condition of the structure before we sign on the dotted line.


Sonja

PM sent hope it helps
Rgds

Your making me feel home sick . Love st helens and the pancake joint up the hill

Being in a legeslative vacume can be both a good and bad thing.....Is the whole concept just too hard to deal with.

At least one public servant thinks so...... how long will his vendetta last?

Id be more concerned at where the thing legaly stands that the condition of the hull.

Have you spoken to the local politicians.

cheers

Soundman,

Are you psychic?

How do you know there's one council man with a vendetta?

I'm serious! He's absolutely dead against the original builder, the previous owners and cant wait for the thing to sink. In fact was proud of the fact that he'd told all prospective buyers that it was going to sink within 18 months (now HE's a marine engineer?) and that the council only gave a mooring lease to the original people to "make them go away" (do councils ever do that?) and that all prospective buyers had also gone away and never come back! What the?

How did you know that?


Sonja

Dazzler,

I'll have to post some pics. There's some renos to do on the boat (oh boy is there what?) And they'd make a good thread here.


Sonja

Originally Posted by frog's wife

Soundman,

Are you psychic?

How do you know there's one council man with a vendetta?
[..]

How did you know that?


Sonja

Um.. because you told us in post #4?

the other was the bloke from the council that obviously had a personal vendetta against the original builder and current owner.

Looking forward to seeing some photos!

woodbe.

oh yeah,

Please excuse my blonde moment.



(but I look so pretty!)



Sonja