I was wondering what some of you guys know about lift boats? The the basics of what they tipicly do and how long they are normally on station and such. I know nothing about them and was curious. Thanks in advance.
They can flip over.
Haaa ,Yeah I’m sure they can, they look a little top heavy.
…and hey have.
Some people prefer jack-up boats. They pay a 200 ton Master $580/day @ Chouest. The pay is good, but you can wake-up on your head with a red snapper in your pajamas.
I woke up with a red snapper in my PJs once. She was a cutie.
“They can flip over.“
So can a big anchor handler if there’s too much side load… or tequila<img alt=”” src=“http://gcaptain.com/maritime/forum/js/FCKeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif” />.
All kidding aside, I’ve always wondered about their stability. They look like they want to flip over right now.
Nemo
Man, this got out of control fast!
Nemo
I can always be counted on to send things sideways, or in this case, upside down.
Jack-up boats have “TILT” alarms like they’re a f&^king pinball machine… if that tells you anything.
I just assume have a fighting chance with a bilge pump instead of falling over like a tree, but prior to jacking-up, they do ballast a few feet out of the water to proof load the soil conditions…sometimes well over 24 hours before jacking all the way up. They are relatively safe, but you don’t know what you cant see. Not my cup of tea.
http://www.marinelog.com/IMAGESMMVI/list90.jpg
Jackups are OK. Yes they have a tilt alarm thats runs off fuel pressure of the engine.If the engine is not running then it is actively running, to tell if there is any settling. You can not run in 5 foot seas are greater. Once you get to location you put the legs down then bring the hull out the water, to depending on the Captain about 5 feet above the highest wave, then depending on your deckload you load your preload tanks with ballast water to bring the weight up to max deck load. Then you see if the boat settles, (depending on the area By a river bottom is soft & Ship shoal the bottoms hard) you at usaully determines how long you sit with the pre load water. Are if there is any sliding or sudden drop you stay longer. Once you are certain the bottom is good, you pump out the pre load tanks & jack up to work height wherever that may be. During the winter there is not much movement. During hurricane season, just the mention of a disturbance you jack down & go in. You don’t have to worry about a drydock to change a wheel you just jack up. I worked on them for a while,but to paraphrase anchorman Its not my cup of tea anymore. I didn’t like it when one leg would be stuck then all of sudden break free from the sea bottom & rolling 10 - 15 degrees. Also, the client you are working for fails to mention a drilling rig is in the spot they want you & you slide into a can hole, that can be scary. Personally I rather the tractor tugs now.
Dont forget the fun of being sure not to put a leg on top of a pipe line!