Thinking of buying a Steel boat - what to consider?

[Minerva]

I've been round and owned a goodly number of GRP boats for many years and know my way round common issues and how to spot & repair most things.

However I have seen a professionally built, to a high standard, one-off / custom boat. A proper offshore voyaging type with numerous ocean crossings in its wake. This isn't something that a bloke has sketched on a fag packet and welded up out of cheap mild steel.

The boat seems to fit the, apparently esoteric requirements I have for my next boat - not least being able to finally comfortably both fit in a bunk lengthwise and also sit comfortably under a spray hood despite being 6'4

I have viewed the boat and had a look in as many nook and crannies as I could reach and saw no traces of rusting or rust streak marks. The boat comes with a 2 year old survey where the plate thickness was still the same as built and, frankly, a glowing survey report.

It would, certainly appear to pass muster as far as I can tell. Before I go further and take my wife to view to see what she thinks, what are any issues I may be unaware of that I should be considering?

Thanks

 

[Tranona]

Inside is arguably more important than outside as often the parts where corrosion starts are hidden by internal furniture. Decks are also important, Particularly if any fittings are bolted through or a teak deck laid. Obviously a full survey by a steel boat specialist is a must. Are you in position to share more details as there maybe somebody here who knows about the background of designer/builder.

 

[Minerva]

Thanks Traona, It's this one: Custom Steelbird 38 | 12m | 1975 - Argyll and Bute | Boats and Outboards

She's had an interesting past!

 

[FWB]

Looks good. Engine a bit small maybe?
Ballast and displacement?

 

[GHA]

It would, certainly appear to pass muster as far as I can tell. Before I go further and take my wife to view to see what she thinks, what are any issues I may be unaware of that I should be considering?

A few things I'd be very wary of it buying another..

• Nothing bolted through the deck, it will rust sooner or later, every cleat, toe rail attachment etc should be welded on.
• No wood should touch metal, better attached to welded tabs & a gap between the wood & steel.
• How easy is it to get at the inside of the hull? Interior should be easy to disassemble to get at the inside, that's where you'll rust. Best to be able to get at it all easily, near & under the waterline anyway.
• Best to get a look at every last inch of the inside of the hull, ultrasound is great but can easily miss small areas of rust coming from the inside.

Steel is actually one material where a good home build can be a lot better long term than factory built, factories more likely to bolt stuff on.

Loos like a tough boat though ?

 

[[194224]]

The fact that she survived a collision with a tanker is very impressive.

 

[Norman_E]

Think about heat insulation, particularly if you plan to sail anywhere hot.

 

[Frayed Knot]

Buy with your head, not your heart. I know it’s a cliché but without exception, every person I know who has been tempted by an old steel boat (& one that was not so very old) has bought into a nightmare…
Also, my own (horrible) experience with a wooden boat taught me never to trust someone else’s survey.

 

[srm]

From experience of owning one, very nice looking, steel boat built with rolled plates so no chines. They can, and do, quietly rust away from the inside, mainly in the difficult or impossible to get at areas. I finished up selling mine for its scrap value as the hull needed extensive re-plating.
Modern coatings are much better than my boat had, but be very careful and make sure your surveyor has extensive experience of steel construction. A surveyor did tell me that all they can do is sample areas that are likely to give problems, so serious corrosion could be missed.

Edit: having looked at the pics how easy will it be to remove sections of the cabin lining and inspect, re-coat the hull plating? If you do buy it would be advisable, given the age of the boat, to do a section each year.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Its claimed to be made from cortex steel which will protect itself greater than ordinary steel if the surface coating is damaged. Therefore there is less risk of wastage in hidden areas due to corrosion. Corten is often used outside with no surface coatings because of these protective properties, hence a good explanation why the hull has such a good bill of health.

 

[srm]

Corten is often used outside with no surface coatings because of these protective properties, hence a good explanation why the hull has such a good bill of health.

Yes, Corten steel makes it a better proposition regarding corrosion risk, but if buying I would like independent confirmation that it is indeed Corten.

 

[dansaskip]

My initial thought is that is quite old for a steel boat and perhaps quite expensive given its age. As others have pointed out they rust from the inside out - even Corten.
Don't want to put a damper on it. I used to want a steel boat myself but having meet several owners and their steel boats on my travels I am not so sure now. They always seemed to be having troubles with corrosion, constantly having to deal with it, repainting often etc and even holes appearing in the hull. so as Frayed Knot says buy with your head not your heart.

 

[Tradewinds]

Plus if they end up on a reef it’s not unusual for them to end up staying there (as a warning sign to every other passing yacht). Salvage can be uneconomical/impossible in remote parts. So much for having a ‘bulletproof boat’

 

[westernman]

Buy with your head, not your heart. I know it’s a cliché but without exception, every person I know who has been tempted by an old steel boat (& one that was not so very old) has bought into a nightmare…
Also, my own (horrible) experience with a wooden boat taught me never to trust someone else’s survey.

I will confirm the "never trust someone else's survey".
It is also critical you instruct your surveyor on exactly what you want him to do. There is little point in him writing a report on stuff you can see or do yourself.
It is all the stuff you can't see or never thought of as being important which is important!

 

[Tranona]

To add to that, be with the surveyor as he does it. That way you can get explanations as it goes rather than wait for the report.

 

[superheat6k]

GRP !

 

[Tradewinds]

GRP !

Definitely. For the majority of us - it's good enough.
Just don't end upon a reef like this guy ( his grp boat was 'matchwood' not long after).

 

[Yngmar]

Topsides look recently painted on the broker listing, perhaps to hide the rust streaks running down the sides. If possible, pop off some of that teak rubrail and have a look underneath to find the truth. Definitely can see a good bit of rust on the hard dodger where the aluminium hatch frame is bolted to the steel.

Making any modifications/installing anything can be a pain in the ass, as I've seen from our friends who spent about a month installing a forced air diesel heater on their steel boat because they needed to make a 100mm hole for the ducting through a thick steel bulkhead. Same when Barry Perrins installed a windlass on his Van de Stadt.

Metal conducts heat, so insulation is important, else you get a lot of condensation inside that gets trapped in corners and corrodes away from inside.

I've seen steel yachts with a proper multi-layered epoxy coating properly applied that looked immaculate and beautiful, but this is very costly and eventually needs renewing. Meeting the same boat again after one season, some corners where ropes had worn the paint off were now streaking rust, so the old adage is true - steel boaters always walk the deck with a can of paint in hand

 

[[194497]]

Having owned a steel boat for a while I would recommend looking hard at how the hull has been insulated. The problem is that you want access to every part of the inside of the hull, but you also want the insulation to cover every part with no air gaps, thermal bridges etc. If warm, moist air from the inside of the cabin can reach cold steel you'll get a constant flow of condensation.
Some swear by sprayed-on foam but I have no experience of that - I would think that a boat that had been professionally blasted and epoxied when built with foam professionally applied at that stage could work but I'd be very wary otherwise.

 

[geem]

I have met several steel boat owners who regret their decision to buy one. Once they get to 25 years old they become a maintenance issue.
The guys in the yard next to us in Curacao in October had a 1990s professionally built, in Scotland, steel yacht. It had been around the world in the hands of the previous owners.
The couple who owned it now were welding holes up in the hull whilst we were there. They said every lift out seemed to involve the welder!
Boats have enough maintenance without worrying about the hull corroding.