Visit our Popular Forums

Randyonr3 · 11-02-2010, 07:50

If you are looking for a cheep steel boat.. theres a 35 footer in the boat yard at Coos Bay.. some guy that didnt know what he was doing put it together.. seems the bildge is a built in Diesel fule tank.. the welds failed for some reason and the boat is setting in the yard and leaking on the ground.. no welder will touch it as the metal around the welds are now contaminated with oil.. setting not 100 yards is another steel boat.. hard chime, been up for sale a few times..
The story is its been sold about 5 times over the last 10 years and still sets in the boat yard..
There is another out here at the end of the slough you could pick up for a song.. its about 30 feet.. setting on its side... seems it ran upon a berm and when and the tide went out, it laid over on its side.. tide came back in and it flooded the boat.. No one will attempt to move it as its now full of Mud and sinking into the delta.. but it'll make a great birds roost.
A friend of mine is selling his... it was built a boat yard by someone unknown in Costa Mesa... the guy decided to make it bullit proof and alter from the plans and skinned the bottom with 3/16 and 1/4 inch instead of the designed 1/8 inch.. after a year of work he put it in the water.. at 40 foot overall, it only has 10 to 12 inches of freeboard, due to the extra weight.. His wife wont go near the boat.. says its a steel coffin..
If you're indeed looking for a steel boat, really cheep, walk the boat yards.. you'll see a good number of "Project" boats that someone has never finished..

**hpeer** · 11-02-2010, 08:18

Quite true, you really need to look at the boat and the workmanship. You need to take a good look at the boat no matter what the material.

We nearly bought an aluminum boat last month but when we really got into the welding it was simply not up to snuff It may end up being fine but it did not meet "standards" nor was it quality work. We walked on that one.

Then we saw an aluminum boat with magnificent workmanship, but the design was.........unbelievable.

Then we saw an aluminum boat that had good workmanship, very nice design, and run into the ground. Not a blessed thing worked on it.

In that same yard were quite a few steel boats. One was very nice design but was rusting terribly from the inside out. It was from a reputable yard so one can only wonder what went on there. Yet there were quite a few steel boats, two or three gazelles, that all looked quite nice. Some had better fairing than others. But they were all clearly out there doing it.

There are not many steel boat builders in North America. My 33' cutter was from a guy in Canada. The hull is fair, the welding is very good, the coatings are generally adequate but need work as you would expect on a 25 year old boat.

On the other hand I met a guy round here who bought a beautiful 47' ketch in Florida and sailed her to NJ. There he hauled her and learned about osmatic blistering. Took him about 3 years and god knows how much to do all the repairs. For a while he had a bunch of great round holes clear through his hull. He had to undo and remount the chain plates also. Boat is beautiful now, but I'll bet he sunk the purchase price in repairs, if not more.

So for dealing with rust I get no deck leaks, no chain plate problems, and a tough hull. Sounds about like a wash to me.

woodymr · 11-02-2010, 08:45

Check out this site http://www.mahina.com/boats.htmlhttp:// I just scored a Columbia 9.6 which has a hull design similar to the Sparkman Stevens 34 that Jessica is circumnavigating in right now. So as you study and learn you can make a decision that you can live with, I would think with only 15000.00 to spend that you are going to get a boat that needs everything replaced anyway so I would set my sites on paying less for the boat, as many are selling cheap now a days,and using the left over money for replacing standing rigging and such. Best wishes and keep learning it will all work out.

Brent Swain · 13-02-2010, 10:48

Friends in California started looking for steel boats there. They were rare in California , but the further north he came the more common steel boats became. There were more in Oregon, many more in Washington, and a lot more in BC and Alaska. The quality of these boats also impoved greatly ,the further north he came.

rover88 · 13-02-2010, 15:02

Your dream is attainable - not easy - but well within reach.

There are plenty of 30' (+-) boats that will meet your needs in the price range you have to purchase. Just know that after purchase you will spend a lot more money and time than you planned if you want the boat and yourself ready in a few years.

But, while you upgrade the boat you can also learn to sail and maintain it. There is a great deal to learn and no better way to do it than hands on.

Now as a novice you have learned an important lesson already. Ask three sailors the same question and get three opposing opinions, an argument and possibly a fistfist.

rover88 · 13-02-2010, 15:22

I wouldn't want to round the cape in any of these, but here is what you are looking at in the $10-$15k range. All are solid, if not genuinely "bluewater" boats.

1971 Tartan 30 1976 Tartan 30 sailboat for sale in New Jersey

1976 Tartan 30 1976 Tartan TARTAN 30 sailboat for sale in Wisconsin

1974 Morgan OI 33’ 1974 Morgan Out Island sailboat for sale in Florida

1971 Islander 30 1971 Islander 30 Mark II sailboat for sale in California

clockwork orange · 13-02-2010, 22:04

Those old Tartans would be a good choice,i always forget about them.
Steve.

gunslinger9729 · 14-02-2010, 00:58

As I read thru this thread I thought wow all this bitching about to steel or not to steel. The new guy wasnt asking for a talk about the walue of steel. This isnt a Conan movie. He wanted advice on starting out SAILING. I agree with the few who told you buy something in around the 30 to 35 ft range and start sailing eather around the lakes near you or start out by learning costal crusing. Start with a good boat like the Morgan the one guy saw on Yachtworld or the Tartens . You dont want that steel one in Can. The mast comes right thru the bed and the head pumps right out to the sea with no holding or treatment so you cant use the head inshore or at most marianas. It has no pressure water at all and probobly no hot water eather. Its price is just 500 off what I am paying for a 32 Columbia 9.6 that has 3 sets of sails, the deck redone, the chainplates rebedded, a brand new moter, radar, autopiloit, wheel stearing, sterio, nav station, doger, bimini, sail cover, roller furling, and a mast that doesnt get in the way of sleeping. You can find boats all day long that will cost you between 5 to 10 thousand which will leave you 5 to 10 thousand to repair the boat you buy. If you look on Yachtworld or Sailboat Listings .com you can see all kinds of boats in verious stages of goodness and there are tons that you can take out just as they are if you decide to spend most of the money you have. Get a boat that you can enjoy now and see if you like it before you worry about going out to sea. There are many things to see and many places to go just going around the Great Lakes, out to the coast, down the East Coast, around Fl stopping at Bermudia, go to the Islands that is only a short hop with tons of crusing grounds, go to the Keys, up the Gulf Coast, around to Tx and even down to Mexico if you want or go back up the Missippi to the lakes. Thats what I am looking at doing before I ever try to cross any larger bodies of water. By the time you have done this you will have gotten lots of expariance and will know if you need a bigger boat or a different design or if you just want to keep what you have. But no matter what boat you get to start just start.

slowshoes · 14-02-2010, 05:28

John,

You got some great advice in post #21 - follow it, and let the rest of the posters argue among themselves.

Realize that there have been alot of folks before you that have had dreams about doing big adventures in small boats, only to have those dreams derailed when the reality doesn't match their expectations. Nothing wrong with that - better to take it slow and find out if this is something you really want to do as you learn to sail. The ocean will still be there waiting for you to cross as you gain your sailing experience. (and a catalina 27 is a perfectly fine boat to learn on).

Doodles · 14-02-2010, 07:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowshoes

John,

You got some great advice in post #21 - follow it, and let the rest of the posters argue among themselves.

Realize that there have been alot of folks before you that have had dreams about doing big adventures in small boats, only to have those dreams derailed when the reality doesn't match their expectations. Nothing wrong with that - better to take it slow and find out if this is something you really want to do as you learn to sail. The ocean will still be there waiting for you to cross as you gain your sailing experience. (and a catalina 27 is a perfectly fine boat to learn on).

slowshoes,

That some of the best advice I've heard so far. It is so easy to spend all your time and energy on choosing the boat (because it so much fun I guess

), that we forget about sailing. If I had followed your advice when I started out, I'd have saved myself a lot of money and heartache.

barnakiel · 14-02-2010, 15:33

You will know what you want before you are thru your sailing courses.

A Folkboat will do, a Westsail will do, a Pogo will do. All depends on budget, likes&dislikes and you sailing style.

b.

Blackbeard · 19-02-2010, 17:38

Whoever mentioned an Alberg 30 was going in the right direction. I think that there are plenty of good boats out there for under 10K just make sure you sepend the money on a surveyor. Some things at 10K are worth fixing some things are not. If you look at any Alberg 30's look directly under the mast inside the cabin, there is no compression post and the beam under the mast delaminates badly. this can be fixed though. Of course I am partial to Alberg designs.

rover88 · 19-02-2010, 18:07

A good friend came sailing with me last summer and a week later he decided to buy a boat himself. He looked at dozens and settled on a 1981 Alberg 30. It has a lot of nice features and is very "livable" for the size, with a nice beam. Personally, I really like the boat and although he has but some money into fixing it up, it still was a bargain - lotsa boat for the money. Some say it sails like a dog, but actual owners deny this and my friend was very impressed with the way it handled. I don't know if it is classified as a true bluewater boat but seems a very capable coastal cruiser. Definately worth a look.

Blackbeard · 19-02-2010, 18:19

People have sailed them around the world including the Capes but its not my cup of tea. To whomever first started this thread. Google Jean de Sud. Boat went around the Capes and made it back to Canada. Other than a fine sailing boat they are also mighty pretty to look at. All Albergs are. I get complements on my 37 every time I go out to my boat on the harbor tender and the 30 is just a smaller version of the 37.