Do you need a trade/ licence to build a boat?

[lembo]

These plate boat kits are getting more popular and there's quite a few handyman boats getting around. Do you need some sort of qualification to complete a boat build to either sell or use privately ? i understand these kits are designed by marine architects and are all up to scratch as far as seaworthiness goes but can you build your own boat designed from scratch by yourself and use it or does it need to be surveyed to be deemed seaworthy and rated for load and horsepower? Then your good to use it?
Just wondering what the process is of building a boat and legally getting it in the water? Weather it's for profit or personal use.

[stevej]

the average handyman doesn't have the welding skills I would have thought

anyone can build it and register it as home made

[scottar]

I think the short answer is no. As a home builder I think the only requirements are to do with flotation standards. There is a requirement for the builder to affix an Australian Builders Plate as far as I know that outlines things like max HP but values are left up the builders discretion - bearing in mind that if you sell it to someone, it sinks or detonates, and it hurts or kills someone, you will be in all sorts of trouble if the investigation concludes the builder was negligent.

[mitc69]

boat kits already have everything u need need as far i know of but still need surveyed before you can get your plate rego same with cut it yourself builds, all still need to be surveyed and still need to follow the regulation of a boat..
remember the licensed thing and qualification thing every person is hang up about, is if something so realli BAD happens.. you have someone to sue or blame.. in most case they call it warranty...

[scottar]

Don't think they need to be surveyed for rego purposes. Mate of mine built plate ally rigs for some time - both for clients and himself, from his own templates, and has never had them surveyed and is not a "qualified" welder. There may be a requirement from your insurance company for a condition survey prior to them issuing a cover note - this is a requirement for older (over 30 years) already registered boats for some insurance companies as well. There are actually very few regulations when it comes to boat design and building for non survey, recreational boats in Australia - hence the number of "dogs" that have come and go over the years. Certainly no safety standards similar to the automotive industry. Things have changed a bit in recent years with minimum floatation standards and a proactive approach from the majors and more reputable manufacturers but a lot of this in my opinion has been bought about by the change in the legal landscape with manufacturers being held accountable for vessel defects causing injury and death and some builders looking at export markets that do have much more stringent safety standards. As an example, some years ago I witnessed staff from Telwater doing stability and floatation tests on a new model tinnie at GoldCoast City Marina. Whilst stability testing is a legal requirement for a vessel in survey, it was the first I had heard of it ever being done on recreational purpose vessels.

[Noelm]

No qualifications needed to build a boat, doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's just how it is.

[scottar]

No qualifications needed to build a boat, doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's just how it is.

True enough Noel, but personally I put so little faith in "qualifications" these days, does it really matter. I have seen plenty of "qualified" people make such monumental cock ups that IMO they should be turfed from there respective industries. It makes it difficult for Joe Average to make a judgement call on a product but we put more faith in a piece of paper these days than an individuals (and some have these have forgotten more about what they do than the ones with the bit of paper will ever learn) actual ability to do the job.

[ric]

For QLD:

You do not need any qualifications. You do not need to have a builders plate attached to the vessel unless you are selling it on. You only need to have a HIN assigned to you. This is done at qld transport and it is free. HIN gets assigned to your license number.
You do however need to have the hin number fixed or engraved on the hull.

[lembo]

Thanks for the clarity Ric I've read your build post and that monster of yours needs its own postcode!!
thanks for everyone else's input, I understand a boat has to be built to a standard, and in regard to 'handyman' builders having welding skill. how much welding skill does the 16 year old apprentice have at the "Quintrex / Stacer / etc " factory? Some of the weld quality of these large scale builders is absolutely vommit . Obviously one wouldn't attack such a task of welding a boat without having the confidence/ tools to do it. I would like to know what percentage of boats are welded by certified welders.very few at my guess. Good point Scottar about something going wrong and blame been pointed back to the builder. Maybe having a marine architect designed boat with good levels of flotation and have the thing marine surveyed would help your cause in the situation that anything go wrong.
Cheers for the input though guys just something that's been on my mind for a while.

[Charlie]

I would imagine the sixteen year old apprentice has ten grand of pulsed mig with separate wire feed, as long as the jobs laid flat a trained monkey could do the job once the supervisor sets the machine.I can weld a bit but wouldn't consider a boat build unless I had access to the right equipment which isn't to say a gun welder couldn't do the job with my fifteen hundred dollar unimig. Welding not that hard by halfway though the boat you know what your doing, half your boat is still has poorly welding. "I would like to know what percentage of boats are welded by certified welders" as I said laying down some bead in horizontal is pretty easy, even I can do it, welding in the transom is were the good welder would be called upon.

[gazza2006au]

im currently building a boat from plans ive been told you only need to keep the boat for 4 or i think 5 years after its first registered after this period if something catastrophically happens its not on your shoulders and your not held liable

also u dont need a builders plate at lease in NSW all u need to do is get a H.I.N allocated and attached to the boat than get it registered like normal, the H.I.N hull identification number is just like a car's V.I.N number to stop theft

[stevemid]

One of the problems with getting honest answers around this question of home built boats is that ALL these boats are currently owned by someone who may want to sell it one day. So you're not going to hear about the known problems that home builders have run in to. Also, you're not going to find out about the unknown problems that they haven't run in to yet simply because a one off boat hasn't really been tested in many and varied conditions (not like where 50 production boats are used by 50 different owners in 50 different ways and thousands of different situations.) This is one of the unsung strengths of buying a production boat.

Before I built my boat, I worked as a boat builder for six months to learn the ropes. Plus I was lucky: I found and hired an experienced guy to work with me through the whole project. He had worded on a previous build of my design and we were able to look at that project, see the faults and weaknesses, and plan what I would do differently.

Still you have to remember that boat designers are salesmen; what they say regarding ease of building, costs and time to build is said to sell plans and kits, not to keep you from making a mistake.

Regarding apprentice welders: I'd rather take my chances with an apprentice welder who:
1. Has passed a 2-3 year TAFE course
2. Has a supervised apprenticeship
3. Works under some sort of quality control program (at least has his welds looked at by someone who knows the difference between a good weld and a shite one.)
4. Works with top quality welding equipment and power supply.
5. Has proven, reusable factory jigs, templates and cutting equipment
5. Welds all day long for a living.

Of course we all know about buying a car that was made on a Monday and the same applies boat manufacturers and to dodgy apprentices who get to put their mark on your pride and joy before they are washed out of the system as being unfit.

In my opinion, one of the things that makes fibreglass kits more forgiving than aluminium kits is that with fibreglass a join is epoxied then taped on both sides. Any one of these 3 fixings will likely hold the pieces together but you actually have 3 - the worst thing that can go wrong is the join is "heavy" ie too much glass and too much epoxy making for a heavier than planned for boat.

[lembo]

I have no doubt the 16 year old has access to the bees knees of equipment and has supervision. But my comment was more at the weld quality of some of these production boats been quiet poor. Obviously they have a standard to work too, but that standard is below what I would accept in a boat. The difference between the welds on a quintrex/stacer compared to what you will find on a origin/AMM is worlds apart. so weather it was the 16 year old 1st year or the tradesman with 30 years experience and weather they used a 15 grand welder or a 1500 dollar welder it doesn't matter, the end result is a boat with welds I wouldn't be happy with. I may have higher standards then other guys or seem to focus on the weld strength a bit more then others but that's my opinion.
And obviosly I wouldn't consider welding my own boat if I didn't have access to the right equipment or have the confidence or skills to do so. I am experienced just not certified hence my original question. But thanks to the guys who answered my original question, and thanks to the guys who have actually built there own boats , hats off to you.

[stevej]

a few of my past quintrex's have had shocking looking welds
but thats it they may have looked shocking but never came aparl

id never trust a boat made by johno welded with a 1k welder

[gazza2006au]

$450 ebay welder with spool gun this welder goes by the name "LOTOS MIG" on ebay

welding 6mm and 1.6mm aluminum than a video of the 6mm weld breaking with a sledge hammer

we are talking possibly a $50 made welder here in china

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfQQvvZT_1M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJnM5tew6Jk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2i3ehc7zHE