The Pirate Party Boat which takes revellers out on to Lake Burley Griffin would have sunk within six months if 15 holes from corrosion had not been spotted, the owner has said.
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But the Land Development Agency has rejected John Arganese's call for compensation, with two experts agreeing the corrosion from electricity taken from an on-shore power supply at West Acton would not have occurred if the vessel had been properly wired.
"Based on the advice received, the LDA cannot pay $5000 of taxpayer money because of his failure to wire his vessel to meet the mandatory requirements of the Australian Standards," LDA chief executive David Dawes said.
Mr Arganese, who has operated the steel boat, the Maid Marion, for 14 years on the lake, said he raised the vessel out of the water for the usual winter inspection in about June and the pressure-wash knocked off steel balls on the hull to leave the holes.
The Sydney-based consultant who prepared a report funded by Mr Arganese last year, heavily quoted in a later LDA-funded report, said the problems lay with the vessel, not the power provider, to provide the protection against environmental corrosion or stray currents that would be transferred through the earth line.
"It is the vessel owner's responsibility to make sure their vessel is isolated or suitably protected from these issues," he said.
The boat's electrical issues were common among commercial vessels, he said.
The second report made three "non-compliant findings" relating to ActewAGL, and also recommended the jetty controller, which is the LDA, display specific instructions for vessels connecting to the marina's low voltage power.
However, it made clear this display was not required by Australian Standards, and agreed the cause of the damage was the vessel's lack of isolation for the relevant earthing conductor.
Mr Arganese said he spent $30,000 since the first report repairing all deficiencies, with his insurer covering all but the $5000 excess. He said he did not know that shore power could cause corrosion, and the LDA should have warned him when he began use of the jetty eight years ago.
The LDA installed specific instruction notices at the jetty after Mr Arganese's complaints, but Mr Dawes said it was not required to. It also reported the issues to ActewAGL, he said.
The Maid Marion, which has a capacity for 45 guests and advertises itself as a floating nightclub, operates on the lake about three nights per week, targeting various group celebrations. Mr Arganese said he would be moving to the Kingston Harbour in spring.
There was no response from ActewAGL on Friday.
