Hull Inspector

The other morning I was working at home and heard someone talking close by, possibly outside on our pod. Sometimes tourists come down our ramp. It's a little like someone coming onto your porch, though I'm not sure they always realize that! Turns out it was a marine inspector examining the hull next door and dictating his report - hence the voice. I hadn’t seen such an inspection before (and frankly always wondered whether it was possible to walk on the bottom of the channel without sinking). Inspecting the hull is like examining the foundation of a house. When we first moved here, the concept of a concrete hull flummoxed me (how does concrete float anyway . . .??? - Displacement).  When the inspector finished and climbed back onto the dock in his suit of rubber overalls, he explained how he works at very low tide and often wears  snowshoes to keep from sinking in the mud, which requires extreme care as they have small spikes and some rubber hoses that run from the dock to the houseboat, house electrical wires inside - yikes! Sometimes he sports long wooden shoes, like skateboards or small skis, curved up at one end, a design of his own creation. . . And how was the hull?  I wanted to know. "Excellent," he replied, looking at his watch. "But now I must go - there are many hulls to inspect,  and low tide waits for no one!"