Steel Hull v. Fiber or Wood

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Cjwelch

I just purchased a steel hull 40'. Advantages v. Disadvantages, what say ye?

Uh... Isn't this a question that you should have asked BEFORE you bought the boat?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Cjwelch

I bought the shay 40 listed on this site. It is in Greece I am use for a little longer. I will refer immediately to the search feature ..thanks for all those posts.

Glad the purchase worked out ok .

Now the "fun" starts As said already, lots on CF already (and much of it well worth reading - at least to start finding own questions).

[barnakiel]

I like steel. I would protect it very, VERY well from rust, in and out. And then it is great.

I hear from many owners that good access to all nooks inside is very important.

b.

[Goldencrab95]

Wood can rot very quickly and is NOT the best type of hull to go with, although wood may be the flagship of classic boats. Wood DOES NOT do well in rough seas and are just about doomed when rammed against unseen rocks or accidentally ramming or being rammed into a boat with a steel hull or a stronger hull. Think about what happened to the SS Arctic with the wooden hull back in 1854 when a French steel coal vessel accidentally rammed into the SS Arctic due to heavy fog. The Arctic broke into two and sank quickly.To this day the ship was never seen again. Wood may look fancy and luxurious but requires wood care maintenance and, from what I said about wood, is certainly not the safest hull to keep you afloat. Steel on the other hand is much stronger than wood , of course. It may be powerful enough to forgive your accidental steering into light rocks and reefs and can crush through the ice if it's thick enough. But steel rusts over time and requires maintenance, like wood. But alt least steel is much safer than wooden hulls. Fiberglass may be in between and the most commonly used type of hull in sailing. Fiberglass is proven through the roughest seas as many sailors have done. However, when it comes to rocks, coral, and ice, it is not as strong as steel. I have a great suggestion of what material to use for your purpose: Aluminum. Not only is aluminum just as strong as steel but it is also very light, in expensive, and requires little to no maintenance.

[beiland]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I like steel. I would protect it very, VERY well from rust, in and out. And then it is great.

I hear from many owners that good access to all nooks inside is very important.

b.

I've read some discussions by some very knowledgable steel boatbuilders, and they emphasis this access to all the nooks in the bilges. Proper prep of the surfaces, and then proper and complete coverage of all steel surface with epoxy primer will assure few problems down the road.

Now I am wondering what contribution might be be made by these new Polyurea coatings
Polyurea Coatings - Ace Dragon Coatings and Foam, Inc

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Goldencrab95

: Aluminum. Not only is aluminum just as strong as steel but it is also very light, in expensive, and requires little to no maintenance.

Yes but proper repairs when needed require specialist yards and skilled welder s , then you galvanic corrosion, paint adherence issues, incompatible metals etc.
dave

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Yes but proper repairs when needed require specialist yards and skilled welder s , then you galvanic corrosion, paint adherence issues, incompatible metals etc.
dave

Wood and grp require skilled repair too! Esp. wood repair specialists may be nowadays harder to find than alloy welders.

b.

[eyschulman]

Wood boat has become a broad category. Modern wood epoxy or wood composite boats display many desired qualities that bring this type of construction very high on a comparison list and shed the problems of plank on frame construction.. No it won't take to rocks or tankers very well but few boats of any construction will survive a major collision or rock grounding. So long as water is kept out of the wood with epoxy and or glass coverings wood is outstanding. It is not very hard to protect the wood provided proper construction. Repair is not much harder than glass. Plywood has very good impact resistance and most forms of cold mold or stitch and glue are basically ply boats.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Wood and grp require skilled repair too! Esp. wood repair specialists may be nowadays harder to find than alloy welders.

b.

Today wood vessels are so rare ( as on first world types) as to require very specialist facilities and skills.

By far , on a worldwide basis , the easiest to repair to a structural AND cosmetic level approaching the original is plain old GRP. materials are available nearly everywhere, repairers are common, and good DIY can produce outstanding results.

For aluminium , you are faced with not only finding marine grade aluminium, compatible to what's In your boat , you need good precision welding , most likely indoor or in a welding tent. Then you will have a laborious finishing process , to restore the cosmetic finish

On steel, you will find material easier to find and certain yards can rustle up a welder , but again archiving a good cosmetic finish is difficult and time consuming , not to mention replacing a very expensive LPU coating, ( just like your car )

Dave

Ps would agree with cold moulded ply ( in its many forms) , but really this is just WRP , ie a version of GRP.

[Ocean Girl]

I think the biggest advantage is strength. I love steel hulls, makes a gal feel safe. There is more and more junk out there floating around, steel is more likely to walk away from a collision than wood or fiberglass.
My friend is circumnavigating in a big beautiful steel boat. His maintenance plan goes something like this.. he starts at the bow and works toward the stern, fighting rust. When he gets to the stern he starts back up at the bow and works his way to the stern :-) a never ending cycle. But, he was in Pago Pago for the tsunami, he wouldn't be caught in anything else but steel.

Living & Learning Aboard the Good Ship Learnativity: Doing the Tsunami Tango in American Samoa: Part I

I hope all goes well with your vessel, we love pictures if you are able to post em.
Cheers and happy sailing,
Erika