Dylan Bailey, a marine surveyor in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Fla., shows us an example of using a thermal imaging camera to check for chainplate corrosion.
He writes in his blog: "In April I surveyed a Sea Tiger Ketch. The main mast chainplates were glassed in. I used Thermal Imaging to inspect the chainplates, along with visual inspection. Signs of corrosion were sighted weeping from around the bolt on one of the chainplates. Thermal Imagining helped determine the extent of the corrosion and moisture."
Seeing under the skin of a boat with a thermal imaging unit is a useful tool for making sure that structural elements like chainplates are sound.