NVIC 08-87: Guidance on fiber reinforced plastic vessels

COMDTPUB Pl6700.4 NVIC 8-87 6 Nov 1987 NAVIGATION AND VESSEL INSPECTION CIRCULAR NO. 8-87 With Change 1 Electronic Version for Distribution Via the World Wide Web Subj: Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels

Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels with Change Included — PURPOSE. The purpose of this circular is to disseminate to vessel designers, owners and

shipyards general information relating to good marine practice when dealing with FRP vessels. It is intended to provide guidance on various aspects of the design, construction, inspection and repair of FRP vessels and amplify certain sections of classification society rules. This circular is based on information from many sources.

Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels with Change Included — PERIODICALS AFFECTED. Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular No. 3-80 is canceled.

PERIODICALS AFFECTED. Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular No. 3-80 is canceled.

Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels with Change Included — BACKGROUND.

a. Compared to steel and traditional wood construction, fiber reinforced plastics have not been in use for a long period of time as a common boat building material. The popularity and variety of FRP has caused the development to exceed the amount of proper guidance on its use. Much of the existing Coast Guard guidance applies only to one aspect of construction or repair, e.g., single-skin displacement hulls with glassed over wood stiffeners. b. Traditional small passenger vessel construction has been relatively basic, so that plan review, construction and inspection are customary events. However, many current designs are for complex vessels with various design features, such as sandwich hulls, combination aluminum and FRP structures, hydrofoils and localized use of high strength materials, such as kevlar and carbon fiber. Furthermore, the classification society rules of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd's Register of Shipping (Lloyd's) were developed to be used by those societies' specialized technical experts and surveyors, and may be difficult to follow for a traditional yacht builder faced with building a complex vessel or an inspector faced with certificating it. c. Repair methods can vary widely but still return a vessel to original strength. However, there is little formal guidance on Raking reliable repairs. To achieve the level of safety desired by the Coast Guard, the best methods were investigated and included in this circular.

Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels with Change Included — DISCUSSION.

a. Regulations for small passenger vessel construction are found in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Subchapter T, Part 177. This part prescribes the rules of ABS and Lloyd's as acceptable for the structural design and construction of certificated FRP vessels. Regulations for cargo and miscellaneous vessel construction are found in 46 CFR, Subchapter I, Part 92. Owners of uncertificated vessels may find these regulations and this guide useful as a safety reference. b. In addition to ABS and Lloyd's Rules, there are many other classification society standards, other design standards and existing proven designs. This circular may be used as a guide to present a vessel for certification which has been designed and built to one of those other standards. It also covers aspects of survey and repair unique to FRP vessels. c. Enclosure (1) is divided into six chapters: (1) Chapter 1., "Structural Design Considerations," discusses the use of the ABS and Lloyd's rules, methods for gaining approval of designs based on "the five year rule" of successful operation, other standards, and designs based on detail calculations. (2) Chapter 2., "Plan Submittal Guide," covers submitting plans to the Coast Guard for approval and discusses many acceptable design details not found in the rules. (3) Chapter 3., "Preliminary Construction Tasks," has information on quality assurance, material property tests, production and inspection personnel safety. (4) Chapter 4., "Vessel Fabrication, discusses the actual formation of many components into a finished vessel. (5) Chapter 5., "In-Service Inspections," is information collected from Coast Guard and industry sources about in-service inspections explaining various fault conditions, types of deterioration and ways of surveying collisions. (6) Chapter 6., "Repairs," discusses many acceptable methods of repair.

Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels with Change Included — IMPLEMENTATION. Owners, operators, surveyors and builders are encouraged to follow the

guidelines set forth in this circular. Although developed with input from industry, classification societies and experienced inspectors, the Coast Guard realizes that this guide will require occasional revision to keep pace with industry, and welcomes comments from any source on the usefulness, adequacy and applicability of this guide. Send comments to Commandant (G-MTH- 3), United States Coast Guard, Washington, DC 20593-0001. End: (1) Notes on Design, Construction, Inspection and Repair of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Vessels