Useful Information about the Slipway

Safety and Fire Escape

You should familiarise yourself with the dock and its exit doors, and make sure your crew and any subcontractors also know where the exits are. There is a door in each of the inner corners, a door to the outside in the outer wall by the main lifting door, double doors to the outside half-way along the outer wall, and a fire escape door into the wet dock half-way along the inside long wall. This door must only be used in an emergency. You will be provided with the means to lock all the doors, except the fire door to the wet dock, against entry from the outside.

The inner end doors both lead to the dirty workshop, from where there is access to the dock’s rest room (sink, kettle, microwave and grill) and to the dock toilet and shower room. Please keep these spaces clean and tidy — they are shared with the wet dock and workshop users.

Once you’re familiar with the dock and its layout, please think about how you would escape in the event of a fire, note the position of the alarm call points, and make sure your crew and any sub-contractors are aware of the fire assembly point at the north end of the dell area.

Whilst you are ‘on dock’ you are responsible for the safety of your activities and equipment, and those of any sub-contractors you bring in. Please check your power tools and extension leads are in good order, and route power cables carefully so they don’t present a trip hazard or risk of damage from work underway.

Take particular care not to obstruct any exit routes, including the fire escape to and from the wet dock — there is little room to spare when a large boat is in the dock, so tidy and careful work practices are essential.

Sub-contractors are required to have and produce evidence of insurance — see the Conditions for Use of the Slipway for details.

Hot Works

Hot work (any activity which produces flames, sparks or incandescent material) is permitted in the dock space. There are specific Hot Works Procedures, and these must be followed explicitly if hot work is taking place. A copy is supplied with your booking confirmation.

Storage

There are two dock stores, both with lockable steel roller shutters. The inner store contains a bench/shelf suitable for storing paint as well as the portable lights and other dock equipment. Paint is a potential fire risk, so please ensure it is stored safely, and close the store doors when not at work.

Facilities

Electricity: Both facilities have around 2kW of lighting, so a 12-hour day for 7 days is about 170 units just for the lights. Both units are switched so you can adjust the illumination to what you require — individual rows and alternate lights. An entry/egress light switch is situated next to the single door to the dirty workshop, providing limited illumination to reach the main switch bank safely.

The dock space is equipped with waterproof 13A socket boxes on the walls, and three-phase electricity (via a 32A 5-pin plug) is available in the store by the pressure washer. All electricity is metered, and the meter is read at the start and end of each booked period of use. You’ll be charged for the electricity used by the pressure washer, the winch, the overhead lights, fans, and to recharge the lifting columns, portable lights and the winch remote control, as well as any other electricity used directly by you.

Heating: The dock space is centrally heated by radiators, with a design maximum air temperature of 10°C. Heating is controlled separately from the rest of the building, with the controls in the innermost store. You are only charged for heating whilst the dock is actually being heated — once the set temperature is reached, charging stops. Recommended workshop temperatures are between 13–16°C (50–60°F), depending on the amount of activity.

Ventilation: The dock is fitted with a forced extraction fan, with variable speed controls in the store adjacent to the heating controls. It’s up to you to regulate the fan speed so there’s no excessive build-up of smoke or fumes — if the fan is on, it’s a good idea to turn the heating off. Both are designed as paint shops with 8 air changes an hour at full fan speed, which should be used when painting, not just as an option.

Air intake matters on the slipway — the folding door should not be used. Side vents along the dock draw fumes up and away from the working area.

Pressure Washer: Use of the dock includes an industrial pressure washer rated up to 3200psi and 6kW; the slip operator will show you how to use it. You must ensure it’s operated safely — goggles are supplied, and care must be taken that it is not operated in the direction of any person.

The hose will reach all the way round or under a boat in the dock, with the machine positioned in the store — please close the store doors whilst pressure washing to keep debris out and make clean-up easier. Two lances are provided: a turbo lance (a rotating water jet, best for light fouling over large areas) and a fan jet lance (a diverging flat jet of high-velocity water, best for clearing pits and heavy fouling).

Drying the Boat: after pressure washing, using the heating is expensive and not very effective, since the boat will be sitting in damp air and is a large mass to heat up. It’s better to use the ventilation at low power so the damp air is drawn up and away from the boat.

After cleaning, it’s a good time to clear the floor and walls of debris — use the fan jet at reduced pressure to sweep debris into the grating by the door (don’t forget the rail grooves and cable slot). Cleaning up once the muck has dried is much harder. A wet and dry vacuum cleaner is available to help with final clearing of the slots.

Several owners have found that scraping the hull first (two large scrapers are supplied), then clearing the scrapings before pressure washing, makes the whole process easier, quicker and cleaner.

Please partly empty the pressure washer’s ‘break-tank’ and release the pressure in the hose before putting it away, and coil the water hose next to the tap after use.

After finishing work, lift the grating by the door and clear the muck out — you must take this away with you for disposal; it may not go into the Society’s rubbish bins.

Water from pressure washing drains to a sump outside the dock, which holds enough for about 60 minutes of pressure washer use. When you’ve finished, or if the sump becomes full beforehand, empty it using the pump-out hose.

Access: Access steps are provided to board your boat — let the winch operator know which end of the dock you’ll need these at. A ladder is also available as a second, emergency escape route if needed; it must be firmly secured to the boat and is not for routine access.

An aluminium working platform is provided so you can work safely on the side of the boat — ladders or step ladders must not be used to work on a boat.

For work beneath the boat, portable rechargeable lights are provided, kept in the inner store on the bench. Please return them after use and recharge them every day you use them, and once you’ve finished with them.

Rubbish: There is no rubbish facility associated with the dock. You must bag and remove all your non-domestic rubbish from the Circus Field site — do not use the Society’s rubbish bins, or you may forfeit all your deposit. There is a Civic Amenity waste site (‘the tip’) in the Rabans Lane industrial estate, on the road to Bicester, or at College Rd, Aston Clinton off the bypass.

Coming Out of the Water

Unless the Society has advised otherwise, you should be ready to move by 09:00 on the day of your slipping. If there’s a boat on the slip, it will be re-launched first, then you’ll be hauled out. You’ll be expected to assist with the movement of your boat and the equipment under the direction of the approved operator.

Personal protective equipment — safety footwear and hi-vis jacket — must be worn. Bring your own if possible; hi-vis and a limited selection of footwear and disposable socks may be available on loan. Heavy lifting isn’t required, though some crawling around on the floor or under the lifts may be involved.

Your boat will be placed on a trolley and winched up the railway, bows first. The trolley is about 9m long, with two support bars at each end and two more running front to back, about 1.8m apart — all support bars are 250mm wide. Four poles, one on each corner, stand above the water when the trolley is at the bottom of the ramp; you’ll need to position your boat between the poles so it balances on the trolley. If you know roughly where your slinging points are, it helps to get the trolley poles equally spaced from them — otherwise some experimentation may be needed.

Once you’re above the trolley, it will be pulled slowly from the water. Try to keep your boat parallel to the poles and in the right alignment, by hand — do not use your engine, to avoid getting a blade full of trolley rope.

Once your boat is firmly on the trolley, get off as soon as possible — the trolley winch isn’t designed or rated for manned movements. The operator will then pull your boat into the dock space, where it’s lifted off the trolley using a purpose-designed lift rated at 32 tonnes and two beams across and beneath the boat. The trolley is then taken back outside.

There are two support options once your boat is on the lift beams:

• On special-purpose tripod stands, so the baseplate is about 1m off the floor — safe to climb on and work under the boat in this configuration.
• On oak blocks about 300mm cube, so the baseplate is about 500mm off the floor — safe to climb on and work on the boat, but access beneath it will be difficult.

Let the slip operator know at the start of the process which option you need. You may not work on your boat until it is supported by the beams and either the stands or the oak blocks.

Going Back into the Water

Unless the Society has advised otherwise, you should be ready to move by 09:00 on the day of your re-launch. The dock space should be clean and tidy and clear of all tools and equipment, so the slipway operator can set up for the move. You’ll be expected to assist with the movement of your boat and the equipment under the direction of the approved operator.

Personal protective equipment — safety footwear and hi-vis jacket — must be worn, as above.

Your boat will be lifted off its supports using the lifting columns, the trolley brought back beneath it, and the boat lowered onto it. The boat will then be winched out of the dock and back down the ramp.

Board your boat part-way down the ramp, before it floats off the trolley, so you can move it clear to make way for the next dock user — again, be careful with the engine because of the trolley ropes beneath you.