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We installed a freestanding scaffold tower at Victoria Quay, Gosport, PO12, to provide access to the underside of a boat for hull repairs. The vessel had been lifted out of the water and positioned above the quayside, allowing our scaffolders to construct a working platform directly beneath its dark red hull. We installed the tower on the concrete hardstanding near the quay’s edge, with the marina and moored boats nearby.
The tower measured approximately 3.9 metres long by 2.2 metres high, with a 12-board-deep platform. At that height, the boarded deck sat just below the hull so that a single working level could reach the underside. The 12-board depth carried the platform in under the curve of the hull, rather than leaving the repair area out of reach beyond the edge of the deck.
Headroom beneath the boat set the length of the upright tubes. A 13 ft tube wouldn’t fit under the hull, so we used 10 ft tubes for the centre and outside standards, keeping their tops clear of the boat. The ledgers had no such restriction, as they ran horizontally along the tower’s length, so we used 13 ft tubes to cover the 3.9 metre run.
Each upright tube was supported by a steel base plate resting on the concrete hardstanding. As the tower was freestanding, with no adjacent structure available for tying, we installed a foot tie approximately 500 mm above ground level. These tubes connected the standards near the base, providing additional stability and helping prevent the tower from spreading.
We installed ledger bracing to strengthen the tower’s framework and provide stability. Horizontal transoms supported the boarded working platform beneath the boat’s hull.
Every bay was also sway braced. These braces ran diagonally from the foot tie transoms near the ground up to the structural transoms and were again fixed with double couplers. The diagonals crossing beneath the platform in the photos are this bracing.
The repair team reached the platform by a ladder standing against the tower. A yellow ladder gate was fitted at the top, where the ladder met the platform, and handrails extended past the platform to support the ladder. Elsewhere, handrails ran along the tower’s open sides, supported by standards where they continued above the boarded deck.
A steel ramp plate and a section of timber decking sat on the ground at the ladder end of this tower. We stood the ladder on the concrete alongside them rather than on top, leaving the ramp and decking clear.
We used 14 x 13 ft tubes for the longer horizontal members. These formed the ledgers along the 3.9 metre length, handrails, and the stop-end handrails at the ladder access.
We used 20 x 10 ft tubes on this job. Besides the centre and outside standards, these formed the transoms, structural transoms, foot tie transoms, and sway bracing, along with additional handrails and stop-end handrails.
We also used 3 x 8 ft tubes for the ledger bracing, and 7 x 5 ft tubes completed the tower as handrails and droppers. In all, 44 tubes made up the tower.
Need a scaffold installed for your project? As experienced Gosport scaffolding contractors, we provide access platforms for roofing, building repairs and property maintenance.
The scaffold was supplied for £450, which covered four weeks’ hire.
Location: Victoria Quay, Gosport
Project: Scaffold tower for repairs to the underside of a boat
Size: 3.9 m long x 2.2 m high, 12 boards deep
Tubes: 14 x 13 ft, 20 x 10 ft, 3 x 8 ft, 7 x 5 ft
Hire period: 4 weeks
Cost: £450
For another local project, our scaffolders installed a conservatory scaffold in Newbroke Road for decorating, providing a working platform for exterior painting and property maintenance.
