steel boats & kim H

[nickyg]

I am looking at buying a steel boat so could anyone give me any tips on what to look for & any good or bad boats. I know kim had a steel boat so he must know loads.
I have been looking at a Hollandia 1989 vintage on the Thames seems good but does anyone know much about them
Look forward to your comments

 

[byron]

Not too bad a sea boat if on a newly mown lawn.

ô¿ô

 

[david_bagshaw]

We have had a steel dutch built MY for over 10 years now, & have been v Pleased with her.,

Dont know about a hollandia, but in general look out for

Evidence of poor maintainance

Blisters / cracking in topside filling & fairing, as might be expensive to remove large areas.

Trapped water in bilges

Weld quality, look in hidden from normal view areas to get a real idea.

Tank access

Quality of stern gear & rudders -


I am sure others will wish to add loads more.





David
www.euroboating.net

 

[kimhollamby]

A few thoughts:

a) inspect from the inside out not outside in ie you can usually spot problems on the outside of the hull if the boat is out of the water but the real corrosion threat is on the inside of the hull, so lift every hatch you can and make sure you have a torch with you to look along stringers and inside box sections;

b) mild steel tanks can cause grief if they have been left half full, so take a look at the engine prefilter if it has one and look for rust flakes;

c) doesn't apply to Hollandia I think but a few late 1980s vintage Dutch steel boats were imported as technically ready to sail with the interior left to owner for finishing. Results of those boats weren't always good;

d) ensure that the Boat Safety Certificate (if the boat has one) is not going to be misleading as a part of the sale process. Dutch builders had very different ideas about the way boats should be built to the Thames Conservancy/NRA/EA/BSS and most in 1989 has to be specified quite differently if caught at new build stage or modified if retrospectively imported. Would suggest you organise a new Boat Safety Scheme examination as a part of any sale survey, to avoid some BSS examiner later telling you that the previous owner's examiner had missed something;

e) the secret of a good condition modern Dutch steel build is its paintwork standard. If well-maintained a 1989 boat shouldn't have needed a full repaint. If it has had one, ask a lot of questions about who did the work.

There's loads that could be noted here but I've run out of time...no doubt you'll be back for further questions and/or to tell us how you got on in the next few days.

Good luck.

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[nickyg]

What type of steel boat did you have & would you reccomend a particular manufacturer or dealer

 

[Sirus]

IS the boat you are looking at 'SKIPPER',these boats are brought in by Medway bridge marina,If you want one they will sorce you one from holland and it will be a lot cheaper they will even take you out there to have a look,give jim a ring on 01634 843576 or you can give me a call for further info on 07870829120.