Steel Boats

[bobconnie]

Connie and I sailed a home bilt mild steel Colvin, for over 20 yrs. Had the normal maintaince problems with deck rust, but only minamal. never had a problem with the bilge area because we kept things dry and well painted, and only insulated down to the water line when we bilt her !! Would have loved to have been able to afford corten steel, as it really reduces the maintaince deck wise for sure!! But the boat we bilt and launched in 1971 is still sailing with the 2nd owner, and last we heard she was in the French Islands, in the middle of her 4 th round the world LOL so steel is long lasting, if bilt right to start with !! just our 2 cents

[chala]

Originally Posted by fastinated

I'm still trying to come up with costs of steel boat maint

If the steel as been properly treated, nil for the first 15 years and may be more. Basically you get an epoxy boat with a steel core.

[jm21]

Starting to look at steel boats a bit more. There is one a ways away from me, but not too far, that has lead ballast with a retractable steel keel.

I've heard some horror stories of retractable keels on small glass boats...was wondering if it would be the same, worse, or better on steel boats?

Boat's craigslist ad is here 45 steel sailboat .

[sy_gilana]

That boat is famous. Well built, and less problems with that keel than mixed materials. Take a long hard look at that one, she will look after you when it gets tough. Heard she lay ahull in a storm in the southern ocean, with keel up, she just slid sideways. I think she was schooner rigged then, or its a different boat. Nice lines!

[jm21]

The broker said there were a couple bad spots but they would be fixed as part of the purchase...and across the street from a boatyard where you can do your own work which is a bit of a rarity in WA it seems like...would save several thousand bucks there...

There's another boat near her I'd like to look at...might have to take an afternoon off and go look at both of them sometime. I know she's been for sale for some time now. I wasn't really looking at steel boats though.

[Boracay]

Looking at the two boats mentioned both seem to be on the hard. If so they could be worth a look.

The worst possible situation for a steel boat has to be neglected in salt water. The anodes dissolve and then electrolysis starts on the steel. A couple of years like that and there's not enough hull to call it a boat. Saw a sad case like that on a slip a while ago - only good for scrap.

If I were looking for a steel boat I'd at least check them out. Start with a general walk through, check the fitout, engine, sails and rigging and if still interested I'd spend days crawling through every nook and cranny looking for pooled water or evidence of where water had been. Thing about rust is that it usually looks far worse than it is.

As for rust on the outside abrasive blasting is the bees knees. All other approaches just don't have that guarantee of permanence.

[gjordan]

JM21 ,I have been watching this 45 foot boat since January when it was listed at $12,000 and called 42 foot. Someone posted a real nasty review on craigslist saying it was a pile of rust and not worth sh@#. He may have been trying to keep other people from looking at it while he tried to buy it. A few weeks later it was listed at $56,000 and said a little work was being done on the hull. Another month or so and it was listed at $19,000 and had better pictures. I believe the most recent listing is at $24,000. The fellow also recently had another boat for sale in the area, at a pretty low price. Makes me wonder if the steel boat was bought on a lien sale. Find a very, very good steel boat surveyor before you jump into this one. It is a nice looking very typical French design without the funky interior that many french boats seem to have, so if it is repairable, it should be a good boat. Do a title search. ____2 cents worth.

[jm21]

Thanks for the information. Maybe he tried using a few different brokers? Hard to imagine how a price could fluctuate like that. I think the current $24k asking price has been there for a few months.

The ultrasound really adds a lot of expense to the survey. Is it typical for the seller to pay half or part of that expense?

Whoever is selling the boat (not sure if it's broker or owner) I think mentioned he had quite a few boats for sale.

[gjordan]

I just spent an hour playing the google game and looked at todays listing on the boat. Gave the design name. If it is what it says ,it should be a good boat, but the add said the engine was in for five years, but before it said 7 years. Having an ultra sound done is good if the man doing it knows where to test. If he is an inch off it doesnt tell you anything. Below heads or sinks or along the tops of welded in tank tops. I worked on an 86 foot motor yacht that the owner bought without a survey, and the next haulout we did an ultrasound test and spent $120,000 on the next refit. It would be well worth it to buy a video probe ( cant think of the proper term) from Harbor Freight and look in all of the places that you cant normally see. On another note, if this is a Damion 2, there were 30 or so built with some in aluminum and some had a stern extension added to make them 50 foot. I dont think it was the schooner that spent its whole life in the Antarctic, but the same hull design. Yes, I have never seen a price fluctuate as much as this boat, so I would be cautious to the max. There may be an advantage to you if the boat was purchased on a lien sale. P.M. me on that one._____Grant.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by jm21

Starting to look at steel boats a bit more. There is one a ways away from me, but not too far, that has lead ballast with a retractable steel keel.

I've heard some horror stories of retractable keels on small glass boats...was wondering if it would be the same, worse, or better on steel boats?

Boat's craigslist ad is here 45 steel sailboat .

Just based on her lines, that is definitely worth a look...and if the look is positive, a full survey to determine plate wastage (if any) and the states of the frames and stringers.

If the boat was built and coated properly, there is no real impediment to fixing almost anything with the proper level of competence. One of the features less discussed with steel boats is that they are, compared to fibreglass, easier to "recycle". Replacing bow plates or a centerboard is not necessarily a deal-breaker, for instance, but a reason to knock $$$ off the sale price.

The survey will cost $750-$1000 and should take two hours or so.

[gjordan]

At risk of offending Alchemy, I must say that any surveyor that only spends 2 hours on surveying a 45 foot metal boat is a hack that is robbing you. Do a search on our forum for (Marine Surveying 101) and read thru the very good information. Even though it doesnt cover much on steel boats, it will tell you the information needed to question surveyors before you choose one. There are a lot of good surveyors out there, but there are also a lot of mediocre ones. Finding an actual steel boat surveyor will take some research, but remember there are many systems on any boat that size that need serious inspection, no matter what the hull is made of. Good Luck with the boat. If I had any cash right now I would be giving it a good look over for myself._______Grant.

[DeepFrz]

Check out the metal boat society. There may be someone there that could point you to a good surveyor.

[gjordan]

DEEPFRZ just had the best suggestion yet.____Grant.

[SabreKai]

Make damn sure you get a competent surveyor. Mine was a total idiot. Glowing report on the boat, and half the stuff he missed has already cost me or is costing me now.

Anyway, I think steel is the best bang for your buck but it does need care and maintenance. I'm doing a complete rebuild so if you want to see a poorly maintained steel boat, have a look at my blog. I'll be working on this one as I intend to live on her when she is done and I'm too late in my working career to take the loss and move on. I like working with steel, so that's not a problem. I just took 12 days off to try and meet the clubs launch window but missed because of a supplier hang up, but I'll tell ya, those 12 days gave me more satisfaction than I've had in 20 years.

[Coachbolt61]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

Make damn sure you get a competent surveyor. Mine was a total idiot. Glowing report on the boat, and half the stuff he missed has already cost me or is costing me now.

Anyway, I think steel is the best bang for your buck but it does need care and maintenance. I'm doing a complete rebuild so if you want to see a poorly maintained steel boat, have a look at my blog. I'll be working on this one as I intend to live on her when she is done and I'm too late in my working career to take the loss and move on. I like working with steel, so that's not a problem. I just took 12 days off to try and meet the clubs launch window but missed because of a supplier hang up, but I'll tell ya, those 12 days gave me more satisfaction than I've had in 20 years.

Sabre what's your blog address?
My surveyor sat in the cockpit and read off the report he made two years before. Took him all of 10 minutes and cost me $500. The list of things he missed are extensive.
Coachbolt.