Would You Buy a Boat With Termites ?

[Butler]

Never stopped me but I always took a good look at the affected area... structural or non-structural, sounding the wood and took the money for tenting off the asking price.
Made the mistake of trying microwave technology with only half-assed success... I think if it were done properly and regularly could be pretty effective but tenting is the most thorough solution. I have been able to chase them out of two very limited areas by sealing the seams of a beam for instance with duct tape, opening the kick-out hole a bit and shooting some butane under presssure into the spot. This act of foolishness that I DO NOT recommend was perpetrated after I turned off all electricity to the boat and in two cases, as evidenced by the lack of frass and new kickouts eliminated the presence of newly established little colonies.
My Dreadnaught is balsa cored above the waterline so tenting is essential and I anticipate doing it quarterly.
My other thought was that we could just put the tenting money towards a cruise up to Homer AK via Hawaii then overwinter there taking a room and freezing the little devils out!!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Butler

Never stopped me but I always took a good look at the affected area... structural or non-structural, sounding the wood and took the money for tenting off the asking price.
Made the mistake of trying microwave technology with only half-assed success... I think if it were done properly and regularly could be pretty effective but tenting is the most thorough solution. I have been able to chase them out of two very limited areas by sealing the seams of a beam for instance with duct tape, opening the kick-out hole a bit and shooting some butane under presssure into the spot. This act of foolishness that I DO NOT recommend was perpetrated after I turned off all electricity to the boat and in two cases, as evidenced by the lack of frass and new kickouts eliminated the presence of newly established little colonies.
My Dreadnaught is balsa cored above the waterline so tenting is essential and I anticipate doing it quarterly.
My other thought was that we could just put the tenting money towards a cruise up to Homer AK via Hawaii then overwinter there taking a room and freezing the little devils out!!

Mate, you have got to be kidding... aren't you??

At least here in Oz, the procedure that you are proposing to do 4 times a year costs on the order of 5K$ and has non-beneficial side effects besides.

What are you thinking???

Cheers,

Jim

[Butler]

OOPS! Duh... how about once every 4 years at a cost of 1,000 a pop

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Mate, you have got to be kidding... aren't you??

At least here in Oz, the procedure that you are proposing to do 4 times a year costs on the order of 5K$ and has non-beneficial side effects besides.

What are you thinking???

Cheers,

Jim

Oh...that's ok...Butler forgot to add that he lights it too...

[Mr B]

Lets put it in perspective,

A Red Gum Sleeper is a very hard wood similar to Teak,

A sleeper is 8 feet long, 8 inches wide, and 8 inches thick.

Termites will reduce a Red Gum Sleeper to nothing in less than 2 years,

Termites will can and will, reduce your boat to an unrepairable pile of saw dust in two years,

You cant see them, they are inside the wood, They leave only the paint or varnish that covers the wood,

The only trace if you can find it, is a little pile of tiny round balls of crap, under neath any timber they are in,

Not only are they expensive to remove or kill,

But the damage they have caused is permanent, It will not get better, It will only get worse,

And you not going to know what damage you have from them, untill some thing breaks, usually in a good blow, Your chain plates pull out, and your mast falls over,

You start taking on water, as your wood hull has been eaten and will no longer keep the water out,

Australia is riddled with white ants, Termites, I have seen houses ripped apart to try and get rid of termites, 5or 6 houses in a row, totally destroyed by the little mongrels,

Termites, you are buying your self a very expensive problem, DONT DO IT.

Sailing is expensive enough with out adding to it, unecesarily,

Termites are not like other pests to remove, Cochroaches, Spiders, Etc,

They are easily killed with no structural damage,

Termites leave their structural damage behind for you to find and repair, $$$$$$$$$$$

AQIS do their job very well,

They might be hard nosed about it, But they keep the bugs and other thingys out of our country,

We dont have a lot of nasty things here that other countrys do, Rabies for one,

Buy a boat that does not have Termites,

[Hudson Force]

Tenting is an out of the question wasteful expense for a boat! The structure of a fiberglass vessel will allow for sealing off the boat with little or no expense and no materials besides some plastic sheeting and tape at a few vents and hatches. I had "dry wood" termites in my aft cabin cabinetry in 1987 in Florida. I sealed the boat for a few dollars worth of plastic and tape and paid a local termite exterminator $75 to spray and fumigate. I've had no problem since that event. No need to tent a boat or pay major bucks for an easy fix!

[Wotname]

Lets add another perspective:
The termites the OP is talking about are a completely different animal to the Aussie termites. They eat differently and are killed differently!
AQIS is not concerned about Aussie terminates, we already have plenty of them but they are VERY concerned about other types getting imported here. AQIS gets to chose the bat and they will use the biggest one they can find; the importer gets to pay for it!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Tenting is an out of the question wasteful expense for a boat! The structure of a fiberglass vessel will allow for sealing off the boat with little or no expense and no materials besides some plastic sheeting and tape at a few vents and hatches. I had "dry wood" termites in my aft cabin cabinetry in 1987 in Florida. I sealed the boat for a few dollars worth of plastic and tape and paid a local termite exterminator $75 to spray and fumigate. I've had no problem since that event. No need to tent a boat or pay major bucks for an easy fix!

While this methodology may make sense, sense isn't high on AQIS's priority list. THEY, not you, get to decide what measures are required to rid your boat of pests, and here that seems to mean tenting. I agree that one can seal up a yacht adequately to perish the little buggers, but in the few cases that I know of personally, tenting was required. It may well be determined by the specific AQIS agent that one deals with. We have noted a large variation in the rigidity and hard-nosedness between individuals with whom we have dealt in the past, albeit on other issues.

It is particularly aggravating since, at least according to some sources, the termite that they are trying to exclude is already present in Oz. Beyond my pay grade to determine the truth of this...

Cheers,

Jim

[Butler]

Thanks CaptForce... I thought of that but have not been able to find an exterminator who would be willing to play it that way.
Mr. B... I have had two wonderful older boats that I would never have been able to afford if I adopted your rule. In SoCal too many older boats have termite issues to write them off as prospective candidates. I agree that termites can leave behind real damage but it isn't always that big a deal to asses the extent of the damage.

[bobconnie]

With the amount of boats for sale out there in Cali and North of there, I know you can find a boat that don't have termites ! and you mite as well write this year off ! and go hunting with no pressure ! by the time you get anyboat suited out to go south and west from there ! You will be way to late and have nothing but trouble, that you don't need!! never buy under pressure !! your dream is still viable, it just needs a a change of timeing !! Don't ruin it by rushing into a BAD Boat !! Your life and dreams are to important to you to let it be ruined by working from your heart and not from your head !! Just my 2 cents and we were young once to !!! Bob and Connie

[justwaiting]

Once again

The Australia posters are all clearly telling any one that wants to listen that bringing a boat into Australia that has any evidence of termite infestation is not a smart move. The OP has indicated that it is his intention to sail to Aus and sell the boat after arrival. What he is sailing into is a mine field of potential problems that may require the OP to shell out a significant amount of cash - he has already indicated that his budget is tight. At the end of his trip cash may not be available.

Please take the time to look at the atached link AQIS requirements for imported vessels with timber components - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

These are the people who set and enforce the rules, not sailors or boat builders in any part of the world. This is Australia which is not a state of America, at least in this regard.

Please feel free to disregard this advice i could do with a good laugh with some one else paying the bills. Over and OUT

[SimonV]

When I imported my boat the inspection cost was around $1000, when I go back out into the south pacific and return I need to budget this amount again as I will require the same service again, No termites the first time so on the next trip I will carry lots of bug sprays and bomb the boat every couple of weeks. When I crossed the puddle in 2008, every time a cleared out of a port I would set off a couple of them french insect bombs (Good nasty chemicals) put the boards in and close the hatches and spend the next 4=5 hrs in the cockpit. Never even had a cockroach on board for the whole way.

[Celestialsailor]

Although I would love to cruise around Australia some day, I'm not sure i want to take the chance now. When they inspect incoming vessels, are the owners charged for an inspection?

[justwaiting]

Per AQIS web site

Important notes for vessel owners

1. Owners should be aware that more than one inspection may be required to resolve the quarantine risk, depending on the complexity of the vessel.
   
2. The AQIS timber inspector may need to authorise the use of alternative termite detection devices or dogs if visibility and/or access is reduced or restricted, or there is a potential quarantine risk detected or suspected within the structure of the vessel on initial inspection.
   
3. AQIS timber inspections and alternative technologies for detecting timber pests are not available at all ports therefore you should contact AQIS to discuss availability options.
   
4. AQIS will only undertaker timber inspections in safe conditions, during daylight hours and usually within normal office hours.
   
5. Owners are responsible for the cost of all inspections and any treatments required by AQIS to resolve the quarantine status of the vessel, this includes the travel costs if an AQIS timber inspector/entomologist, alternative inspection provider or treatment provider is required to travel to the inspection location.
   (Note: to minimise inspection costs, vessels must be presented for inspection at larger ports when and where AQIS timber vessel inspectors are available).

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by justwaiting

Yes it is a good forum, with great advice.

But he is talking about bringing the boat to Australia. What all of the Australian have been saying is that when he gets here he will be meet by a government department which is (rightfully) mandated to try and keep "pests" out of the country. They dont care how much it will cost the individual, and cost it will.They have been given powers to do their job and they are willing to use them. BTW they will not give a dam about what WBF knows or thinks - that is the reality.

If they're trying to keep dry termites out of the country they've already failed. They've been showing up for hundreds of years on every piece of wood, including every pallet used in shipping. The things are everywhere.