Reluctance to purchase steel

My simple mind would think regular inspection and wire brush and paint where needed?
The wire brush or the chipping hammer or needle gun is for repairs to the paint.

Hull protection , inside and out require sandblasting to "water white" as the first step .

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a steel boat if it was the right one, and if a bevy of experts gave it the thumbs up. Here's one I wouldn't bother to even look at;

2001 Seahorse Diesel Duck Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

MurrayM said:

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a steel boat if it was the right one, and if a bevy of experts gave it the thumbs up. Here's one I wouldn't bother to even look at;

2001 Seahorse Diesel Duck Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

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Nice staging on the pictures. Lol.

The broker sent me some hull pics on this boat. It's seriously rusted up. Terrible.

cardude01 said:

Nice staging on the pictures. Lol.

The broker sent me some hull pics on this boat. It's seriously rusted up. Terrible.

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A wee bit of water damage inside as well...hard to believe it's only 15 years old

cardude01 said:

Nice staging on the pictures. Lol.

The broker sent me some hull pics on this boat. It's seriously rusted up. Terrible.

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The rubbish in the washing machine alone tell me to run away from a boat like that .How do people live in conditions like that . Imagine what one would find on a close inspection

And yes 15 years old steel hull that's the sort of thing that confirms my doubts

gaston said:

The rubbish in the washing machine alone tell me to run away from a boat like that .How do people live in conditions like that . Imagine what one would find on a close inspection

And yes 15 years old steel hull that's the sort of think that confirms my doubts

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By the condition of the prop and zincs, me-thinks there was more than mere neglect going on...

From my perspective there is certainly some bedding to be done on the pilot house windows, the overhead in the galley/salon is getting wet from some where. The coating has not been maintained properly, if at all. The engine room hatch has some interesting blistering on the lower left hand side, and some the interior decks look as though they may have been wet at some point. Top side has an interesting crack on the port aft side of the pilot house which may correlate with the crack/scratch on the port (edit Stbd) side of the steps inside forward of the fridge.

So, perhaps grounded hard? Took some water limited to accommodations by the water tight engine room?

MurryM,
Just for my edification, what do you think may be the cause of the damage to the zincs and props?

Cardude01,
Where was the hull rust and how extensive was it? 3/8 in plate is not particularly expensive these days.

Might be saveable by a hearty sole. Probably been worse revived.....

Just a guess (regarding the zincs) but it looked to my untrained eye that the boat was either in a marina with a stray electrical current problem, or the zincs hadn't been changed for a long time.

Could also be that it was owner built in the backyard for a decade or more, giving it substantially more time to develop interior water damage and/or rusting issues than the 2001 splash date suggests.

MurrayM said:

Just a guess (regarding the zincs) but it looked to my untrained eye that the boat was either in a marina with a stray electrical current problem, or the zincs hadn't been changed for a long time.

Could also be that it was owner built in the backyard for a decade or more, giving it substantially more time to develop interior water damage and/or rusting issues than the 2001 splash date suggests.

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I thought this was a Seahorse build. Maybe I'm mistaken.

"It's seriously rusted up. Terrible."

Sand is cheap, paint is cheap, Labor is cheap in many countries.

Plan "B" build a new hull , move everything that is worth saving.

Costs no more to build a steel hull that can be refinished inside and out .

Again FF nailed it. Trinidad yards have a lot of skill for cheap by reputation. I maintained a steel hull destroyer as part of the deck ape crew in Nam. She may need work but so what? Get her cheap, if you can fix to a high standard cheap then you will hit a home run.
Steel, welding rod, sand and so forth is cheap. You get her for $125-150, spend even another $100 (might be hard to spend that much) you come out WAYYYYY ahead of the game.
With the coatings we have today steel is great.

Maybe if someone has experience with steel like you and FF do this would be a great deal.

I have a copy of a survey that was sent to me if anyone wants to see it.

Hear is a pic of one of the thru hulls.

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It's hard to believe that this boat was once someone's pride and joy. It makes me sad to see such a beautiful boat be treated like that.

The surveyor noted that some areas of the bilge and stringers were unavailable for inspection due to obstructions from interior buildout.

The inability to inspect and maintain all areas of the interior hull of a steel boat without disassembling the interior seems like a design flaw. Do most steel vessels allow full, easy access to the interior of the hull for maintenance?

Every hull material has its potential issues. Then throw in a shoddy build and problems arise.

I remember about fifteen years ago when DD designs started appearing there were many mentions of backyard builds, some pictures even of construction outdoors taking several years. Yes, chickens come home to roost, sometimes perching on a cap rail during the build process.

I have been in several Chinese steel fabricating facilities and factories. If required they employ the best of coatings, techniques and specs for final products. But, and a very big but, QA/QC must be monitored by knowledgeable and buyer loyal experts. Not easy to do or find for a low volume steel boat build.

cardude01 said:

The surveyor noted that some areas of the bilge and stringers were unavailable for inspection due to obstructions from interior buildout.

The inability to inspect and maintain all areas of the interior hull of a steel boat without disassembling the interior seems like a design flaw. Do most steel vessels allow full, easy access to the interior of the hull for maintenance?

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Victoria huh.. Fish Port Oconner and Aransas Pass? My old stomping ground. I realize the owner might not go for it but a hole in the hull and a lighted fiber optic probe could answer questions. Easy to close. Not to mention probes around or through the interior buildout. Perhaps you need a surveyor that was an ex DEA Agent. I hear that they find everything and anything everywhere.:lol:

Worse case, after proving a hull problem, cut out a plate and fix it. With the survey showing the defects she may go cheap, real cheap. Welding steel is a lot easier than fiberglass work. With the oil patch on its ass I bet there are quite a few tank, boat and garden variety welders laid off right now that would be thankful for some work.

At some price this would be a good purchase. If owners and broker are in LALA land, pass it by.

cardude01 said:

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Hear is a pic of one of the thru hulls.

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This thread and others like it from the past are a little curious and entertaining in a way in that there can be a bias that causes some to look at this boat and blame its condition on its build material. Yet, I suspect, they can look at the condition of the boat in Bligh's avatar and not blame the condition of that boat on its build material. Is the reason for the condition of those two boats not the same reason?

I fully understand and appreciate this as I have the opposite bias......

Florence, Delfin, Klee Wyck, Libra, many others seem to not be adversely affected by their build material which is the same as this boat. I recently returned from one of the boatiest countries I have ever visited where less than 20% of the hundreds of vessels I saw were FRP. Opposite bias as here in a country that is below sea level (perhaps suggesting that boats are an important coping mechanism and need to be durable and reliable).

I'm in the final steps of a steel boat purchase. I knew very little at first but I hired the best people in the industry to evaluate and advise. Through 4 days of in-water and out-of-water surveying over a month, I'm able to get a pretty good analysis of the state of the boat. With today's ultrasound audio gauging and infrared imaging, the amount of factual data is incredible.

I think I have a pretty good feel for the initial refit needed and the ongoing maintenance required for taking care of this steel boat. Like everything in boating, there are pluses and minuses to every decision. Steel is just one more decision.

"I recently returned from one of the boatiest countries I have ever visited where less than 20% of the hundreds of vessels I saw were FRP. Opposite bias as here in a country that is below sea level (perhaps suggesting that boats are an important coping mechanism and need to be durable and reliable)."

This is because in many countries a license is required to float a boat.

Inspection is done and the price per sq meter to replace a bottom plate is known and not extortion.

Two nice big refrigerators on the aft deck… think of all the beer you can store there! I'd like to buy those big stainless cowl vents. Will you take $10 apiece?

Seriously, it reminds me of the 40 year old steel project boat that I bought when I was younger. In mine there was no way to remove the washer from the closet. I don't know how they got it in there. Coincidentally, right underneath that washer was where the hull bottom was almost completely rusted through.

My suggestion would be to offer $70k, max, and be forewarned that no matter how thorough an inspection you have done by all the experts, that once you own it and start really digging in, you will find even more surprises. Have a lot of contingency in your budget.

"Have a lot of contingency in your budget."

And remember a motor boat does not have to smooth bottom as a sail boat might.

Take it to a place where you can hire your own welder for a few weeks.

The oil patch is hurting right now with the great (for consumers) oil price , scout a yard there.

OMG....you don't need to cut nothing. There are ways to test without destruction. Xray and ultrasound reliable affordable and lots of expertise available.

pearlwindham said:

OMG....you don't need to cut nothing. There are ways to test without destruction. Xray and ultrasound reliable affordable and lots of expertise available.

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I agree. Lot has changed since 68.

If you are going to use ultrasound for hull inspection make certain you have a skilled tech doing the measurements. Its important to be sure you are not looking at any internal plating such as bulkheads etc. which can result in false readings. Also have the tech remove any bottom paint down to bare metal for each spot to be measured. Fuel tanks are another area to watch out for esp. (as previously mentioned) at the lowest point where water collects. Don't be afraid of steel, just be thorough. We have a 68' 1972 vintage, steel Defever so I can speak from a bit of experience with steel boats.

Well, I have been following along on this thread and I must say that while I understand many people don't like steel boats, I do. I would much rather cut out a piece of my hull and weld in a new piece that try and cut into a fiberglass hull that has blisters and hope that I cut deep enough and that I get a good enough bond with the old material to restore strength. I don't want to hunt all over the west coast to try and find enough fir in big enough pieces to replank a rotten spot in a hull. I like steel. Simple, straight forward, available in all kinds of sizes almost everywhere. Oh it rusts. Well, not if you do this thing called maintenance.
I have never seen a boat that does not require care.
The boat in this thread looks like it needs work. Either you can pay to have the work done or you can do it yourself. Or you can walk away if the price of the boat plus the work is more than you think you can afford. But every boat--no matter what it is made of will need work. Sooner or later. So maybe you should put what the boat is made from at the bottom of your list and instead look at the things you will live with and work with every day you own the boat. Pick a boat that fulfills your needs. Then look at the condition and how much it will cost to get that boat into the shape you want it in. Then worry about what it is made from.

"I would much rather cut out a piece of my hull and weld in a new piece that try and cut into a fiberglass hull that has blisters and hope that I cut deep enough and that I get a good enough bond with the old material to restore strength."

So would everyone else in the world since most blistering is cosmetic not structural.

klee wyck said:

This thread and others like it from the past are a little curious and entertaining in a way in that there can be a bias that causes some to look at this boat and blame its condition on its build material. Yet, I suspect, they can look at the condition of the boat in Bligh's avatar and not blame the condition of that boat on its build material. Is the reason for the condition of those two boats not the same reason?

I fully understand and appreciate this as I have the opposite bias......

Florence, Delfin, Klee Wyck, Libra, many others seem to not be adversely affected by their build material which is the same as this boat. I recently returned from one of the boatiest countries I have ever visited where less than 20% of the hundreds of vessels I saw were FRP. Opposite bias as here in a country that is below sea level (perhaps suggesting that boats are an important coping mechanism and need to be durable and reliable).

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When my stabilizers were installed, a stringer had to be cut down a bit to accommodate the overhang of the actuator. The yard didn't paid the bright steel as they should have. It is still bright after 9 years. True, there are a few spots of surface rust but in about 1,000 years that rust will be a problem. My point is that so much depends on design and coatings on a steel boat. I was fortunate in that when I bought Delfin, she was completely empty so I could see the quality of the coatings. I sprayed her with QuietShip to eliminate vibration transmission, then smeared the inside with poly construction adhesive, then applied acoustical cork. For rust to be a problem before the turn of the next century is going to take an awful lot of salt water and I try to keep that out of the boat.

If a steel boat is built by someone wanting to save money, or is of a design where the interior is exposed to salt water, and I couldn't actually see what was going on I would be very nervous. Not because I would be worried about her sinking from rust since a quarter inch of steel will produce about 2 inches of rust before it no longer has any steel left, but because it sounds messy.

I have hit rocks and logs, and if I ever am careless enough to run her up onto a reef I am not really worried too much. I may dent her, but I won't sink her. Each material has its own pluses and minuses, but if done right, steel doesn't have many of them.

cardude01 said:

View attachment 52750

Hear is a pic of one of the thru hulls.

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That sure looks like an electrolysis problem. There is no reason for concentrated rust like that without an external dynamic causing it.