Bodge: "To do something clumsily, repair something clumsily or badly"
A bodge should not be confused with a jury rigged repair, this is where a sound but not final finish is performed, usually to get you out of a situation until it can be done properly.
Very unfortunately working around boats I have seen more bodges that I can count, they fall into two basic categories;
Professional
Someone has paid a "professional" to fix or install something on their boat and it has been done very badly, often these works are paid for in cash, with no recourse to the poor unsuspecting boat owner. Either the installer does not know what they are doing or assumes that the way work is done on a boat is the same as anywhere else.
In defense of some professionals, they might well have their hands tied, the owner of the boat is unwilling to pay for a proper job or there are time limits, so repairs or works are carried out to get them going, the idea that at a later date the temporary fix will be redone for a permanent installation. The technician or company who performed the work then gets the blame, even though they themselves were compromised by the boat owner. I have personally known some companies just simply turn down these kinds of customers, they value their work and their reputations too much.
Well meaning
Usually by the boat owner or one of their mates, a repair is made using materials and practices that are not correct, they don´t do it on purpose, they just lack the skills, tools and knowledge.
In both cases, pro and amateur, the potential for damage could be high and potentially dangerous, non compliance with safety standards, this is particularly important when working on gasoline engines. The use of improper materials that are not suitable for a marine environment is another problem, not all materials and products are created equally.
Most common bodges
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| Typical electrical bodge, these are the lights for a boat name, a 20 metre explorer type yacht worth 7 figures. This work now has to be redone letter by letter at great expense. |
Electrical
Using insulating tape to hold cables together, incorrect fuse or no fuse at all, undersized cables, solid core cable, automotive type starter motors and alternators on inboard or sterndrive gasoline motors, poor quality terminals crimped with the incorrect tool, the list goes on and is probably the most common fault we deal with.
No sealer
Boats live in water, a lot of items need sealing, this does not always happen or there is not enough sealant or the wrong type, rule of thumb "if it doesn't ooze, there's not enough sealant"
Thru hulls and seacocks
This is a serious one, wrong materials, inoperable, mismatches threads, mild steel hose clamps, not doing this correctly could sink your boat.
Batteries
These are a subject all on their own, the smallest, cheapest batteries in the world installed, couple that to car battery chargers or the oldest battery chargers in the marine world. Battery terminals made of mild steel, wing nuts, corroding battery cables, batteries loose, not fixed in place, the list goes on.
I could go on. More and more boatyards are refusing to let people work on boats in the yard unless they can provide documentary evidence of being insured and registered to do the kind of work they´re performing, this cuts down on cowboy workers and also limits boatyard liability.
Often what happens is when a technician goes to deal with a fault, they end up having to correct many others to solve the problem they were originally contracted for, this is when invoices can start to add up, professionals have a duty of responsibility to inform the clients of what they have found.
Boatowners also have responsibilities, their insurance dictates minimum standards, even though they have performed any repairs to the best of their abilities or paid someone else to do so, a claim could be denied because the work was not performed correctly.
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