How Scary is this Rusty Old Steel Boat, really?

[Kat55]

Hi all,

I'm hoping to get some opinions from the community on the restore-ability of an old rusty steel boat.

I've recently inherited an old 34' Saugeen Witch schooner (Colvin) from a friend. This is a boat which draws gasps of admiration from all who see her in full sail, but sadly, due to an illness in the family, wound up neglected by the previous owner.

She's just had a full hull ultrasound that found no major areas of less than 1/4" steel, so good there. Her interior and framing is dry with only very light surface rust at worst. All areas of the interior/bilge are viewable.

The big concern is that all her paint has peeled off at the waterline, and there is significant thickening/scale/lifting of the steel along the waterline. The steel under the scale feels solid when hit hard with a hammer. Hammer blows also produced a few pinky-sized through-holes in 6 or 7 isolated small rust patches found on the keel near the rudder. (A week ago she was still floating with all this rust and no leaks-yikes!)

I've fixed up fiberglass boats and lived aboard for 3 years now. I haven't dealt with a steel boat thought. Welding experience is limited to a couple welding classes... the goal with this schooner is to use her over the next couple of years (I have winters off) as practice to get my welding skills good enough to produce some nice water-tight welds, re-coat hull, and launch. The fallback would be to hire an expert welder (but I wouldn't learn that way!

How crazy does this plan sound? How scary do folks think this rust looks? Pretty neat that it's exterior and not interior, right? The plan, as always, is to spend twice as much time and money as anticipated

Thanks for your thoughts!!
Kat

[Steve Bean]

Knock that rust off and go for it! It's great that you can inspect the entire bilge. Learn about sandblasting followed immediately by primer paint.

[pcmm]

knock the rust off, sandblast the bottom and some of the topsides so that you can see the real condition of the steel. Then learn to weld well!

[appick]

I'll start with I've never built or repaired a steel boat. I've read about various construction and repair methods, and talked with a few steel boat owners.

My first thought is it's going to be a long process and is the boat worth it?

I'd want to start by blasting (sand soda walnut) to get a sense for how far the rust pitting has spread. I'd work in small sections so you don't leave bare steel exposed. But you need to get a good idea of how much of the hull plating has been compromised, not just holes but pitting. If the steel is pitted it needs to be replaced would be my thought. Keep in mind where you cut and weld the interior will need to be disassembled if it presents a fire hazard.

I'm sure some steel boat owners will chime in and hopefully an expert. My gut instinct says she's a goner though.

[Pete7]

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

Pete

[conachair]

Looks like a load of work... But you might get a cracking boat for not too much money, just a load of work. And you seem realistic that it's a biggie

This is well worth a download with a section on what to walk away from...

https://www.amazon.com/Metal-boat-ma.../dp/B0070QRME4

[mkriley]

looks like induced electrolysis from a stray 110v current.
those holes near the rudder are most likely from a zinc mount.
did the boat have a isolation transformer?
was it plugged in at the marina for a long time?

I would be happy to have a boat like that but if you are not handy and willing to learn welding I would sell it.

take a basic welding course in stick welding at a community college
mike

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by mkriley

looks like induced electrolysis from a stray 110v current.

Absolute nonsense. You have a lot of studying to do. The first thing they tell you when you start the Corrosion course is that if you use the word "electrolysis" it's an automatic failure because "we haven't taught you a damn thing". AC stray current is almost benign in that it would take decades to have any significant effect. DC stray current is what causes problems. An isolation transformer will protect you from other vessels, it will not protect you from your own Leaking DC current.

Certified Corrosion Analyst

[gjordan]

I used to own a steel boat that ended up with no paint near the waterline. Bad prep by the original builder and possibly stray currents from poor wiring. You mention the ultrasound came out fine, but you show a badly deteriorated hull? Repairs for rust on the outside of the hull are the same as if the rust is on the inside. Cut out and reweld. The biggest problem is getting to the interior to keep from catching on fire from welding. I would not sand blast until you have finished all of your welding. Just those small holes you show would allow enough sand and dust into the interior to cause major problems. I would not try to sand blast the interior of a finished boat. You ask if it is doable? Yes, very doable. You ask if it is worth it, and that mostly depends on what the rest of the boat is like? If it is a funky home built interior and deck hardware that looks like it was borrowed from old farm equipment and welded on, then it probably isnt a good project to take on. If it has a reasonably nice interior and hardware/sails/ground tackle, then you might break even in the long run and learn a lot in the process. Nicely built Colvins fetch a good price, but junky boats are just floating steel waiting to be recycled. Post some photos of the interior and deck, gear etc. Just my 2 cents worth. ____Grant.

[jheldatksuedu]

The big question is, "Do you want steel?"

Steel has certain advantages of other materials, but also has lots of disadvantages too. I am one that want's steel, and will put up with the problems. You can go to my website to see my process of doing exactly what you are considering. I missed one spot and that caused me to learn how to seal a rather major leak while in the water. I did not do any ultra sound, I used the tap method of location of the thin spots. Often, You get exactly what you pay for.

I want steel for the the extreme strength, to be able to most likely survive an iceberg or container collision.

[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

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by mackconsult

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

No its not crap, you just failed to read my post correctly and spot the question mark at the end of the sentence.

So is non-silica sand available or is some other media like glass or volvanic ash used instead? therefore you don't sand blast and instead 'grit blast' might be a better description for your process.

Pete

[Brooderman]

There's other options for blast media besides sand. And a particulate filter mask also helps. I have supplied air system (brings in air from 50 feet away into a hood over my head and shoulders so I don't breathe any air in the immediate area. I like it because there's no filters to change or wonder about their efficiency. Search "supplied air" on amazon and for about $600 you can get a setup like that.

There some great products available for treating rust. But basically you grind out the rusty areas, then treat with something equivalent to KBS rust blaster (also on amazon) then prime with a rust preventative paint right away.

As you know it's easy to spend lots of money on fiberglass resins and cloth/mat. With steel - a great welder can be had for under $1K and they are small and portable unlike the models from ten or more years ago. Search for "welding tips and Tricks" on youtube and you'll have access to more free and quality training. And steel in relatively cheap and available anywhere you might sail.

Sounds like a real opportunity. I wish I had something like that to work on.

[McKenna]

What you need to do is just get rid of that rusty ol' bilge bucket! I'd be willing to take it of your hands. Why, just think of the money you'll be saving in lot storage fees!!! Just mail me the title...
Seriously, she just needs some attention.
You can do this.

[Cheechako]

You provide little info on the rest of the boat, but have it blasted and painted. Repair any corrosion with depth, even with epoxy if needed. It doesn't have to be perfect to start out. Once it has a good barrier coat on it it could be fine for a long time.
Use it a while and see how big a project you are into.