Comments About Steel Sailboats?

[windseeker2]

the "Windseeker II" was built in Holland in 1982. She is presently moored in Juneau Alaska. She has weathered the elements well in her 27 years. We live on her and sail her in Southeast Alaska. She is 46 feet in length, is a Colin Archer design and beautifully appointed in side. We are of the same opinion that steel is the only way to go. We have owned three GRP vessels and would not go back to those problems. Rust is the plague we deal with all the time. You just have to watch where the fresh water collects and stop the leaks. I would rather stove in the bow with this heavily
built steel ship than a wood or GRP vessel any day, and we have. A good book about steel boats has been written by a fellow Scott Fratcher. He owns a steel boat in NZ called "Whatever". He has made it his lifes work to deal with the care and feeding of steel sailboats. I vote you take a good hard look at the vessels available in steel.

[Cherp]

I owned a steel boat once. No harder to maintain than anything else, and a lot easier than wood. People say they "rust from the inside out" but this is not an overnight process. If you detect a bit of rust, give it the modern paint treatment. I would own a steel boat again - but over say 40 ft. Under that, their weight tends to be against them when sailing.

[Hurricane Harry]

Expect same maintenance with steel as for a wooden boat especially if you buy a used custombuilt. Other than that its great to hit a reef with, cant beat it./ Harry

[RayfromFrance]

Why do you compare to wood boat ? Why not with plastic boats ?

[bangkaboat]

I've worked on the construction of a few steel sailboats & plan to build one, or more, in the future. I've worked for several years as a shipyard steelworker & have owned a few plastic boats. You can find good & bad examples, so it is worth hiring a welding inspector or a suveyor with steel boat knowledge to do the survey. As for the best boats being built in Holland; baloney! I've seen well-built boats from Canada, The U.S., South Africa, Australia, you name it. I've seen garbage, as well. All boats require maintenance, regardless of build materials. Providing one takes appropriate care of their boat, I don't believe it matters whether it is composite, metal or wood. Ferro-cement scares the bejesus out of me, but there are a lot of them on the water. Winston Bushnell took a steel boat through the inner passage, so cold water is not a concern for a well-built steel hull. Personally, I prefer steel in an offshore boat, for the toughness. as well, with an alternator-welder it is the easiest of hull materials to repair when on some "middle of nowhere" beach.
That's my 2 bits.
Mike

[weedeater64]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

Hi Viderov,

There a a number of threads relating to Steel boats on the forum. We always welcome new discussions but you might try a search for steel boats in the forum.

I just did.

[S/V Willow]

We loved our steel boat very much and heres a few hints
1/ Look at the stringers for sitting water and hence rust
2/ Look to see if she is a 'dry boat' - you really want a dry boat when its steel
3/ Get a good electrical inspection done to make sure it has been earthed correctly. Horror stories go with steelies not earthed correctly.
4/ Look in every locker, cupboard, crevice, nook and cranny you can wedge yourself into. Surface rust can be removed but if it's deeper look deeper.
5/ Maintenance is definitely the key. Never stop looking, chipping, anti rusting and painting. We found a product called POR 15 and LOVED it.

She is an awesome looking boat - good luck.

[rusky]

Agree with all the above. Last boat was a vande stadt seal (36') Tough as and built properly = minimal regular maintenance. Current boat GRP.

Saw a steely which ran onto a rocky reef in bad (very) weather. One side stove in, other still high gloss paint. The crew all lived. Any other boat would not have kept crew alive.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by bangkaboat

.... As for the best boats being built in Holland; baloney! I've seen well-built boats from Canada, The U.S., South Africa, Australia, you name it. I've seen garbage, as well.

I am a huge fan of Dutch yacht builders having overseen a number of builds and my own yacht is Dutch built of Corten Steel.

You are right, you can find good builders anywhere and also crap builders, but I truly believe the standard in Holland is higher than anywhere else

[SurferShane]

After having worked on steel trawlers I am really thinking it all comes down to having the right electrodes to reverse the electrolysis and doing a bit of maintenance? Don’t get me wrong; I worked on solid boats, but heard the rumours about the others that had hulls which had been compromised.

Seriously, I am now thinking of buying a steel boat. One good thing is that my joke about turning about on full steam ahead to run pirates down might not be that funny after all. However, I will be looking for a rechargeable grinder and checking the science of this electrolysis out a bit more thoroughly!

Oh, I am just an amateur who enjoyed wood and aluminium boats almost as much (wood is cool!), so please do not take this as professional advice!

[bangkaboat]

I often read posts where it is stated that steel boats/ships rust from the inside-out. trapped moisture aside, it has been my experience that steel oxidizes uniformly from the inside-out to the surfaces. Many times when I have been cutting out a section of hull/deck/bulkhead/etc., I find that the suface areas on each side of a given plate have a healthier structure than the inner layers. Normally, I find this as I cut into the area with a torch &, once the cutting flame hits the interior mess, molten rust particles fly in all directions, though most seems to find it's way onto my neck! Mmmm, cosy!

Personally, If I have concerns about any area that could compromise a boat's sea-keeping abilities, I'd have the area tested by a NDT tech/inspector. Yeah, that costs some money. Then again, what is the investment of $1,000/$2,000 as compared to the price you'll pay for the boat?

Boat Ownership = Boat Maintenance. There are enough systems & equipment involved to keep every owner in a perpetual state of repair/refurbishment. Though, obviously, I am a big steel boat fan, my past 4 boats have been Fibreglass, though my next will be steel.

The greater consideration should be that most steel sailboats - in the "under 60'" range - are "amateur" builds. Therefore, I'd suggest that one research the builder & his/her/their skills/knowledge, as this is where anomalies will present themselves.
Best of luck!
Mike

[SurferShane]

Mike

The worst thing about some of the steel boats that have been pointed out to me to have hull problems is that you could not really tell unless you gave them a proper inspection like you speak of. In reality, under commercial pressure most steel fishing boats end up with some degree of surface rust on the deck and fittings. Sometimes I wondered whether it was just the skipper of the boat I was on starting rumours to keep the crew from jumping to better catching boats.

However, I did steam down the coast once on a new steel boat I thought looked nice. The skipper was quick to point out it was a death trap and the owners had left it unfinished and prematurely sent it to sea to make money despite the fact a couple of critical hatches on the stern could not be locked down. He reckoned if the nets ever hooked on the bottom the whole boat would go down like a rock. A few years later the same happened taking the lives of its crew. (noting the same could have happened on a boat of any construction).

I know the story is a bit off-track, but I suppose it illustrates the rationale behind having someone knowledgeable do an inspection/testing/survey, even if it does cost a few dollars?