How Scary is this Rusty Old Steel Boat, really?

[Cadence]

It sounds like a lot of work. If the ultrasound showed a good 1/4" have at it.

[ardenlester00]

You have presented the exact image of a 32' steel houseboat we bought 35+ years ago. (Before I re-built the 41" Gaff-Rigged Ketch, the Jubilee) I thought I'd share what NOT to do to the hull. When we took the boat out of the water and got it sandblasted we saw then what I am looking at now with yours. The previous owner had even patched holes on the keel with screws and bondo!

Not knowing any better we put layers of resin and fiberglass matting and cloth across the bottom and up to the desk. It floated perfectly - for 2 years. The fellow that bought it (I hear) was slightly soused one evening - as it sunk in the marina. He sat through it all in his rocking chair - water up to his neck.

It may be still there if you want a boat - cheap!

Lesson: - fiberglass looks nice on a steel boat - but it doesn't "float" well!

[fatherchronica]

That is negligable rust. Sandblast it. I personally would epoxy it. Labor intensive but not too expensive. We have aquaintences in Mexico who cruise in a junk rigged, engineless Colvin. They are the only folks that I have ever seen sail into La Paz. Not to say others haven't done it, I have just never seen it. I have seen several sailboats whose engines quit come in, but they were all towed. We have another friend with a 63' steel boat, whose diesel had some problems, and he came into La Paz with an outboard pushing him. A Colvin isn't very fast, but they seem to have a mellow motion, so a longer sail between here and there isn't such a big issue. If I were you I would jump at it. Like Be Stiller said in "Starsky and Hutch"' " do it, I said do it"

[MCOS]

All boating comes with a price, time and money. The good thing about owning an older boat is that you don't have to figure in depreciation so you are already one step up on the deal. Before sandblasting, rent or buy a decent air compressor and a good needle gun and chipping hammer. Sand blasting is great for paint and moderate rust removal but takes a long time when faced with scaly hard rust build up. Have at the water line and any other suspicious areas. If you want to cheap it out, just get a good manual chipping hammer (welders tool, looks like a cold chisel with a hammer handle) and wack away for a month or two. Good exercise, you will be a definite contender in arm wrestling and you will get a good idea of how sound the hull is both by the sound of the hammering and what you knock loose. You have two basic ways to patch, cut out the bad areas nice and even and weld in pieces cut to fit or heat the area around the bad areas and hammer them in a bit so the patch sits fairly flush on the exterior. If the pitting and eroded areas are not too extensive/deep you might get away with sand blasting and barrier coating the hull after repairing the hole through and wafer thin areas.

Time and money - is it worth your time and how much to spend? Only you have the answer. Sailing is more a labor of love then anything else so perhaps you will continue with this quest. Post a lot of pictures if you do. Would love to see how you progress.

Good Old Boat Magazine would probably do an article if you take photos and detail a narrative of the restoration.

[svJasmine]

fix it and sail it.

don't expect to get a bunch of money for it unless you re-plate. The boat won't be worth that much anyway.

Go have fun. you can make it last a lifetime.

[Butterman]

You are gonna have to remove the rust and do some NDT to find out what you're working with here. You could be opening a can full of worms. That said, it could be a great boat with some work.

[bsurvey]

you want a sp6 sand blast to white metal. its the only way to know for sure. 1/4" is good based on what? what was the original thickness, any areas more than 25% corroded past original thickness needs to be cropped out and replaced

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by ardenlester00

You have presented the exact image of a 32' steel houseboat we bought 35+ years ago. (Before I re-built the 41" Gaff-Rigged Ketch, the Jubilee) I thought I'd share what NOT to do to the hull. When we took the boat out of the water and got it sandblasted we saw then what I am looking at now with yours. The previous owner had even patched holes on the keel with screws and bondo!

Not knowing any better we put layers of resin and fiberglass matting and cloth across the bottom and up to the desk. It floated perfectly - for 2 years. The fellow that bought it (I hear) was slightly soused one evening - as it sunk in the marina. He sat through it all in his rocking chair - water up to his neck.

It may be still there if you want a boat - cheap!

Lesson: - fiberglass looks nice on a steel boat - but it doesn't "float" well!

Sorry you goofed. Fiberglass and SS staples will work on wood, C-flex is better.. I doubt a chemical bond can be made on steel.

It sounds like the OP is looking at enough remaining steel to be able to clean it up and coat it? Not in my bag of tricks but wishing him well.

[rach]

Hi, I am steel and aluminium boat builder, and I've repaired boats in far worst condition then that appears to from your photo's.
start by blasting the out side of the hull using a medium grit crushed copper slag, this will remove everything down to the bare steel.
then apply a coat of blast primer paint, this will hold the steel to stop flash rusting and give you time to asses the condition of the hull for any repairs.


repairs can be carried out by cutting out any really bad areas and re-plating or small areas can be built up with weld and then ground flush (blast primer is weld through) superficial areas can be filled with epoxy filler, sand to fair off, do top paint then go sailing, simples. definitely worth it go for it.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by rach

Hi, I am steel and aluminium boat builder, and I've repaired boats in far worst condition then that appears to from your photo's.
start by blasting the out side of the hull using a medium grit crushed copper slag, this will remove everything down to the bare steel.
then apply a coat of blast primer paint, this will hold the steel to stop flash rusting and give you time to asses the condition of the hull for any repairs.


repairs can be carried out by cutting out any really bad areas and re-plating or small areas can be built up with weld and then ground flush (blast primer is weld through) superficial areas can be filled with epoxy filler, sand to fair off, do top paint then go sailing, simples. definitely worth it go for it.

Apparently you have some expertise in this area. Would it be worthwhile?

[gjordan]

After looking back at the original pictures and seeing the holes that are already there, if you start right out with blasting you are going to fill the boat up with sand and dust. You may be able to plug the holes before you start, but from the looks of the photos you will blow through in other spots, and you cant predict where. Ask any engine mechanic what they think of sand or any other type of grit inside of a boat. I would not let a sand blaster near the boat until all of the metal work is done, and you can seal the whole deck and cabin. The metal work wont be the hard part of the job. Doing the metal work without having to tear out the whole interior, or without ruining your equipment will be the challenging part. Another thing is, if you are going to be working outside a mig welder will be fussy if there is any breeze at all. I hope it works out for you. Happy Chipping. ______Grant.

[rach]

if you ultra sound is giving you a reading of 1/4 thickness then yes I would say it is worth it, at that thickness you could just scrape the rust of it and repaint it and it would out live the both of us.

the thing about a boat is that it has a soul and unless it is on the verge of falling apart then I would without doubt save it, but you do have to think about the cost.
if I can give you any advice I would be more then willing just PM me for my email addy

[Oceanride007]

Depends on other matters, do you like the boat, can you afford the hard stand cost, Is the engine good, are the water and fuel tanks good.
I recently did a repair on a steely, where I had sizeable corrosion, was inside on a flat section of hull, just below a leaky SS water tank, couldn't weld it because integral diesel tank in the keel. Used a 2 pack binder (sorry can't remember name) to bind any remaining corrosion and resin over (so water doesn't puddle, otherwise I probably would leave it without fill), was told not to use rust converter.
I'll watch it for a while now.

[MC2019]

That is crap. We build steel boats, and we sand blast all the time. Using non-silica media of course .....

Originally Posted by Pete7

I thought sand blasting was a no no due to Scillicosis?

Pete

[justwaiting]

Hi Kat 55

Welcome to CF.

As you already know from fixing up your live aboard any boat can be repaired / restored if you are willing and able to through enough resources (money and time) at it. The real question is if it is worth it - and only you can answer that.

So what rewards do you want to get out of fixing the boat - if it does not include the reward of fixing the boat and the only goal is the use of the boat afterwards I doubt that it is worth it. If the only goal is the restoration satisfaction then you may need to accept that you will see the next owner negligent the boat. If the goal is to make some money then you would be better served in sell the boat for scrap and flipping hamburgers in the winters. Boats generally need to be used to provide the ongoing maintenance and even more so with the continual ongoing maintenance of steel boats (yes I have owed steel boats).

What you have not said is what is the condition of the other elements of the boat (motor, standing and running rigging, sails, electrical and electronics .... They all need to be considered in the context of what YOUR intended use will be.

The "fixability" (labour and other resources) will depend on where you intend to fix the boat. Many DIY yards get a bit upset when sparks start to fly.

The issue of where you can /would repair the hull and the rest of the boat. Things to consider would include:
Cost - you mentioned working on the boat for the next 2 winters so you are looking at least 2 years of costs (financial or straining friendships)
Storage - materials and equipment. Ideally you would be able to slap a container along side the boat and also use it for a "workshop" . Rent or buy an old one - good practice in fixing leaks.
Being able to tent the area of the boat you are working on - it will be winter ...
Ability to bring external contractors on site (especially if you are outsourcing the welding.

If it was me I would not bother with that boat but that is a statement about me not the boat.

If I was you (already owing the boat and having an emotional investment in the boat) I would chip, grind and wire brush the hell out of the problem areas and then be prepared to scrap it if it was worse than it first looks. At least with a metal boat disposing of the scrap had some value rather than costs as would be the case with FG.