Buying second-hand steel yacht: What to watch out for?

[Lepke]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Your best asset is a bright flashlight, strong screwdriver, hammer, and bad attitude. Do a through investigation using the above OUT OF THE WATER.

I’ve never found a surveyor who was truly competent with steel boats.

I’ve never found a surveyor who was as competent as I am. They want the money for the inspection, but don't spend the necessary time. I always find simple things they missed.

[MicHughV]

...this is a tough question without knowing more...

...I built my own steel boat boat in the late 70's....launched 1981.
...In the process I got to know not only my boat, but several other steel boats of all different makes.
...My boat, now 40 years old, is still going strong, on it's 3rd owner. In the time that I had it, about 15 years, I never had a single lick of problem with it.

...Ok, having got that out of the way, first thing to find out is what was the hull plating thickness originally. ie, what was the plate thickness. You need this info to use as a yardstick to gauge, what, if, any corrosion loss has happened since.

...Was the hull sand blasted ...and...painted ? Believe it or not, there are steel boats out there which were never blasted.

..Was the interior insulated ?...Very important to know.

...What kind of paint system was used....steel boats typically have a paint" system"...ie, zince chromate....various primers...undercoatings and final coating..there could be several layers of paint involved.

...As other have suggested, steel boats typically rust from the inside ...out. This is because any water that does find its way inside...rain...seawater...condensation...etc..wil l collect along stringers and frames...

...Which leads to my next question. Was the interior stringer/frame system constructed with " weepholes" to allow water to find the bilge.

...Older boats may have sunk at some point....yes...seriously...so look for an interior "waterline".......

..another common problem is the mish-mash of materials...ie, bronze-thru-hulls on a steel hull....this can cause many problems...
...most all steel boats have some kind of sacrificial "zinc" anode attached along the bottom of the hull....might be one...might be several...these need to be checked..

...again, as others have pointed out, a thorough examination should be done from the inside....where ever possible....peek behind lockers...seats....remove insulation where you can..without tearing up the boat off course...

...the shaft tube for the prop shaft often hides many issues...ideally, you want to remove the shaft to allow inspection within...
...condensation water is one thing...but a dripping stuffing box lets in seawater...a different animal.

...I can spend a long time here, but you get the gist. Steel is inherently very strong, but one needs to be diligent.

...An " interior" inspection should take 1-2 days...maybe more...take a very strong flashlight....a sharp knife...chisel...hammer...screw driver.....anything that looks " suspect" probably is.

...You can get the hull checked with an ultrasonic sounder, but be prepared to take 100's of soundings...write them all down on a drawing that represents the hull...it's possible that different plate thickness was used...ie, keel plates typically are made from thicker steel than the hull...deck plates can be lighter..

...A useful tool would be to have the original boat design and scantlings telling you what was used where.

...finally, find out what ballast was used...lead...steel punchings...concrete...etc...all this needs to be known...

...a steel boat that has been properly built, properly maintained and properly taken care off can have a very long life...but if one those above statements is missing...hmmmm....

...my best advice is take someone to see the boat with you that has experience with steel boats...he/she can (should) point out many things you may not notice.

[Mike Banks]

Condensation inside the hull ensures corrosion. Salt does the same outside--salt water being an electrolyte as well as corrosive. Closed pockets with little circulation means corrosion.

In short, what you have to assume is there will be corrosion, and finding the ways in which it has been covered up--because cutting it out and replacing corroded metal is expensive.


A boat that old is either seriously expensive to fix, or it has already been fixed--in which case it might be worth buying--at a price--because re-sale prices of steel vessels is not great in my neck of the woods,

[HOPKINS]

Originally Posted by Wielingen

Hey All!

I'm planning to buy a steel sailing boat (+-30 ft). The boat was built in the early 1950s. On first sight, it seems well maintained but I've already bought and sailed two second hand polyester yachts and they too have their issues.

I'm going to visit the boat and take a look. What should I watch out for? What are typical steel yacht issues?

Thanks for your input and Merry Christmas!

Wielingen

Greetings ,,i also own a 1995 steel hull 43 Bruce Roberts which is for sale in Grenada ,,the best thing to do is get an ultrasound done on the hull , it will tell you how thick or thin the hull is every where, any thin spots can be taken out and replaced easy , next are the through hull fittings , after that just thew obvious things motor, rudder drive shaft ect ,,oh ya have fun ..

[MicHughV]

...prior to building my boat I was pre-warned about corrosion being a problem on the interior of a steel boat.
...I saw many other steel boats that used angle iron where they should have used flat bar...etc...

...nonetheless, at the appointed time in my build I rented a commercial sand blaster, a mountain of blasting grit and hired a part time helper to help feed grit into the blasting hopper.

...blasting the outside was a piece of cake as the blasting grit just falls to the ground.

...blasting the inside was another matter...blasting grit ends up inside the keel cavity, where it must be constantly vacuumed out.

...draped in protective leather gear with a big breathing hood over my head....I determined if there was a hell here on earth...it must be located inside my hull during this time..it was insufferably hot in there !! I paid for my many sins !!!! Many times over !!!

..the blasting was done in the heat of summer off course...
...blasted material should be painted immediately after blasting to ensure most effectiveness, so about every hour or so I stopped to paint...and drink about 5 gallons of water.

...for the inside of my hull I used a two-part coal-tar epoxy...this stuff as akin to painting with thick glue. I used 14 gallons of this stuff inside a 38' hull. Once this stuff hardens, it becomes rock-hard. Because it is so thick and gooey I just poured it around places I could not get a brush.
..not once....did I ever have a problem with corrosion on the inside of my hull.
..After the paint job, I used 1" thick foam panels to insulate the hull down to the water line and never once experienced any condensation.

...the outside was painted using a standard metal paint " system".

..All told, the blasting and painting took about a week, working 12 hours a day. It was a totally miserable experience, but had to be done.

...to this day, 40 years later, the inside of that boat looks like the day I painted it. I know, because the new owner has stripped the interior to rebuild the cabinetry.

...I relate this story, only to say, a properly prepared steel hull can last a very long time. In the same breath, I can also say I have seen 40 year old steel hulls that look ready for the scrap pile.

[Oceanride007]

In my experience, internal corrosion occurred under a area that could get wet, so under leaky tanks, toilet, deck hatches.
Problem a previous owner caused was the painting over of limber holes and he ignored a water tank leak.
Think most often internal corrosion most often at the bottom of the boat not up the sides.
External corrosion has been caused by Anodes, think my boat is over protected, damage is close to the Anodes like inside .4m radius.
My hull and deck are white, any corrosion is apparent, but I don't bother with them until I get a half dozen or so, then I hit it with first a chipping hammer to get the extent, then rotary wire brush, then hit it with Oxyalic acid maybe once and scrub it until run off is clear maybe 5 times.
If its a limber hole thats caused it (inside) I open it up with burrs, drills etc leave no sharp edges. Wash out limber holes with metho otherwise wipe over before applying 2 pack Carboline altralock 576 (or equivalent) maybe twice, then your favoured topping coats.
My time spent on steel work is pretty minimal.
Oh have also been a Ships Engineer am aware of many issues, I did not bother with ultrasonics as my hull had next to no general wastage.

[Max Nankervis]

You might be well advised to check on how insurance companies see steel boats of that age. And for some reading, check-out Eric Hiscock's "Sou'west in Wanderer IV" OUP , 1974. This might influence you. So, in the end, is the cost of checking it out worth it?

[Lemsteraak]

You didn't say where the boat is located.

The reason I ask is that you may want to have a steel boatbuilder go over the boat prior to purchase and get an idea of how much it will cost to refit. A surveyor may have the credentials but not the chops.

A steel boat that is over 50 years old probably doesn't have epoxy coating on the inside. May not have paint at all or worse, paint over rust. The reason for the steel boatbuilder is that repairs are generally easier than with other materials.

[HOPKINS]

The boat is in the water in Grenada , being watched over by Gary of Horizon Yachts.

[MicHughV]

...I gotta admit, that despite my experience with my own steel boat, a 70 year old steel boat would give me cause for hiccups.
...Odds are highly stacked against this boat being in any kind of good nick.
...We have been discussing only the hull, but there is still the standing rig, sails, running rig, electronics (if any), engine, etc, etc.
...I would love to know the asking price for this vessel.
...and I wouldn't worry about insurance, as it is extremely unlikely that any insurance company would come anywhere near this vessel.

...but boats are marvels at being seductive mistresses....despite any and all sorts of problems, somebody can, and most likely will, " fall in love" with even with the most decrepit 70 year old boat and who are we to stand in the way of love ??

[HOPKINS]

THE boat is not 70 years old i the owner is , the boat was built in 1995

[MicHughV]

.....the first post sez the boat "was built in the "early 1950's".....by my math that is a 70 yr old boat

[nortonscove]

I would watch for any other material.

[peter57]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

I always like to post this link up for those asking this or similar questions....


https://www.thecoastalpassage.com/rust.html

Seen, Steel, Ferro, Timber, Cold Molded, Foam sandwich fibreglass, and Solid

Fibreglass all in devastating conditions. Most problems are from home builds

and poor maintenance and the most surprising is the professionally built

by the top names in the business, Solid GRP excellently maintained planed back

too near nothing, WOW wouldn't that piss one-off.

[Renegde_Sailor]

Look at the frames from the outside, if there are lines of rust running down the frames, it means they are rusting through from the back side, walk away.