Some Recent Infrared Thermal Images from Marine Surveys

I thought I would post some thermal images I have taken over the past few months to show my fellow boaters things that I have found in marine surveys I have come across in the field. Some of these images are good examples of things to watch out for and shows how valuable proper thermal imaging is in marine surveying:



The thermal image above is a loose fiberglass molded insert of a keel on a catamaran that had come loose most likely from beaching the vessel or running it aground.



The thermal image above is fiberglass delamination in the deck of a center console vessel. The lighter orange areas show where the deck has delminated around the base of the T-top support.



The thermal image above is of fiberglass tabbing on the interior of a sailboat that ripped up away from the hull from a hard impact at the chine of the vessel. The lighter orange color shows the spacing where the thermal radiation (heat) is passing through faster proving the fiberglass tabbing / transverse frame is raised up and separated from the hull.



Above is a Volvo GXi six cylinder gasoline marine engine running at WOT when this thermal image was taken during an engine survey. Notice the high heat area around the exhaust manifold. When the manifold was dissasembled after the sea trial I found the exhaust gasket had worn away allowing the water and exhaust ports to leak causing the overheating. A gasket replacement and proper torquing of the replaced manifold bolts fixed this problem. Luckily there was no other damage from the overheating.

Also one other side note: If you do hire a marine surveyor and he plans to use infrared thermal imaging, be sure that he is using a high quality infrared thermal imaging camera (in my professional opinion at least a 160 x 120 pixel camera with a minimum thermal range of -4 - 1,200 degree Fahrenheit range) such as a Flir or Fluke brand camera (if a Flir camera, at least a E40 model or higher camera). Anything less will not properly catch anomalies especially when using on engines running under a heavy load. The phone attached Flir cameras do not cut it and are to small in pixels and to low in temperature range to be effective or reliable. Also be sure the surveyor you are hiring is at least a certified level one infrared thermographer from a reputable training program (such as ITC or Infraspection). Do not be afraid to ask to see a copy of their thermography certification. Lately I have had clients come to me for second opinions that had thermal imaging jobs done by so-called marine surveyors who claimed they were certified thermographers (which after some research had ZERO thermal imaging training and in fact were not certified thermographers although their websites and reports claimed they were). The surveyor(s) in question completely missed obvious anomalies on their own thermal images or worse, mis-took reflective objects in the thermal images for anomalies that did not exist! Do your homework, verify reviews and credentials before hiring a marine surveyor. Just like mechanics or doctors, there are good ones, and there are bad ones.

 

Thank you.
Gerald

 

Good info, thanks.