4 Ways ROVs Can Be The Best Option For Hull Inspections

Positively Buoyant ROV
Crawler Wheels
Auxiliary lights
Side facing cameras
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If you work in the shipping industry or own a vessel (whether it be a tug boat or a massive freight ship), completing regular hull inspections can be one way to avoid damage and decay on your boat. Completing a hull inspection on your vessel can give insight as to whether or not the structure of your ship is compromised, the paint job is holding up or if the hull is clean of barnacles and other marine life. Visual hull inspections simply provide ease of mind that everything is as it should be.

Hull inspections are important but how should they be carried out? Dry docking and other measures are used in the shipping industry and at marinas. Procedures enacted by regulatory bodies and companies are important to ensure that vessels are operating properly. Sometimes taking your vessel completely out the water when you believe it's not required can seem like a waste of time. However it may be important from a financial and structural point of view to inspect your hull between mandatory dry-docking. With a system like Deep Trekker's DTG3 ROV, you can have eyes in the water in less than 5 minutes and do hull inspections any day you desire.

With that in mind, here are 4 ways to improve your hull inspections with a Deep Trekker ROV:

1. Set your ROV to be Positively Buoyant

When Deep Trekker ROVs are shipped,they are adjusted to be neutrally buoyant in the water. That being said, by using the little metal plates attached to the unit handles, you can add more weight or remove weight to set your unit to be positively or negatively buoyant.

Take off a plate from under each handle on the ROV to make your unit positively buoyant. This means that when the unit is in the water it will no longer stay at the depth you drove it to but will rise slowly in the water. This can help when performing a hull inspection to ensure that you are sticking close to the vessel hull and not sinking down.

2. Use Crawler Wheels

This suggestion should be paired with the tip above. Once you have set your Deep Trekker ROV to be positively buoyant, consider adding our Crawler Wheel accessory. (No, these are not the same wheels that come with our Pipe Crawler Systems.) Crawler wheels replace the top handles of a unit. When it is floating up toward the hull, it has wheels attached so that you can drive it along the hull of the vessel. By pointing your camera directly up you can now gain a clear view of any discrepancies in your hull. 5377 Auxiliary Lights

3. Auxiliary lights

Lighting, lighting, lighting! By adding auxiliary lights to your ROV you can ensure that you can undertake a complete a hull inspection anywhere, at any time of day. Enjoying a nightly cruise and accidentally hit something? Want to make sure the hull is fine before you leave your boat in the water overnight? Auxiliary lights on your ROV can ensure that no matter where you are or what time of day it is, you can complete your inspection in a timely manner.

Deploy a ROV to perform quick, safe and affordable hull inspections

4. Side facing cameras

Deep Trekker's DTG3 ROV camera has a 320 degree field of view up, down, fore and aft. However sometimes you need to capture a shot directly from the side. With various auxiliary camera options, you can equip your ROV to include side facing cameras. Then, simply drive the ROV by the hull and capture footage from different vantage points to gain an accurate depiction of the state of your vessel.

These are just 4 ways that you can improve hull inspections with a Deep Trekker ROV. We have a number of add-ons that you have the option of including in your ROV package that can help with various shipyard projects.