Remind Me Why this Is a Bad Idea

[ViribusUnitis]

Oh dear.

My poor wife is coming around to the idea much much faster than I ever thought possible.

See, in alought of way's she's my sanity check. I latch on to insane ideas, and then they drag me aloung for the ride. She kinda helps me keep some of the more insane ideas under control untill they finaly release my thoughts, and return me to sanity. (wow, that sounds like their a demon or something, it's not quite like that.)

If she's agreeing to it, it can't possibly be that bad of an idea. Can it?

LOL

Of COURSE it's a terrible idea. I'm starting to think we should do it anyway.

[CarlF]

Work on old steel boats. Fabulous idea. These fellows could give you some pointers:

YouTube - Shipbreaking

Carl

[ViribusUnitis]

Well, they can show you how to take one apart. I'm not sure sure they know how to put one back together.

[Pelagic]

Absolutely terrible idea!… look at the sad condition of my 28 year old steel hull.

Granted the Dutch builder did not know what he was doing by using continuous welds in any wet areas or using Corten Steel …. but hey ……they told me:

• It was stronger than any other normal boat material,
• Bends rather than breaks if you hit something stubborn
• Can easily be repaired
• Like an idiot, I believed in the integral strength of the hull and superstructure in a storm
• That dry bilges were normal
• and the foolishness of previous owners who sailed the world with it…… obviously they must have had horse shoes up their a$$.

Take a look at these recent photos when I had her sandblasted down to new steel ps… the bilges are in the same bad condition

Thanks for the reality check!....

[ViribusUnitis]

Actualy, what's the problem with Corben steel? Continuos welds I understand, but...

[Stillraining]

LOL ...yes it looks like a total basket case Pelagic..

There is a 28 or 30 footer at our local scrap yard...I wet my whistle and think of the possibilities every time I see it.

Go for it!

[cat man do]

The saving of WhiteBird

[Pelagic]

Steel boats and rust???
…and all glass boats get osmosis! Lol

The key issue in buying any old boat is “latent defects”… ie…things you cannot see.

Whether it be steel or glass under teak decks, or behind the finished interior.

You need to wriggle into every spot with telescopic mirrors and look for rot/rust/mold/powder/rework etc… and satisfy yourself the boat is sound.

Most surveyors don’t care enough to do that

The writer is almost correct when he says “That a good skipper is absolutely self sufficient, and that begins on the day of purchase”.

It actually begins years before when he begins to contemplate buying a boat and needs to study what to look for

[NeptunesTrident]

I dont know if anyone is reading this thread or not anymore. It is a year old thread. But some seem to be aginst steel boats. Truth is, steel will hold up better than fiberglass. A little sanding will take care of rust, and rust is not that hard to find. Steel comes coated with oil, this protects it, like the paint. I would not advise sailing a naked hulled steel boat. Epoxy is a great way to dress her up.

I have made a very good living as a welder, welding instructor, welding engineer and weld inspector for the last 30 or so years. I would have no qualms about a steel hull.

By the way, all steels are carbon steel. Even stainless steels are carbon steels.

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by NeptunesTrident

Truth is, steel will hold up better than fiberglass.

I have made a very good living as a welder, welding instructor, welding engineer and weld inspector for the last 30 or so years. I would have no qualms about a steel hull.

a couple of points, first holding up better than fiberglass.. In a stagnent mode, yes it will but not in movement.. and the ocean moves...and the boat must flex with the movement.. steel has a memory, and when the memory is pushed, it weakens and cracks..
I also have a number of years as a certified welder, an instructor, and an AWS inspector, and you know as well as I do, the weld is only as good as the person that put it there..
as much as the types of procedures change, so does the material in use.. and carbon content can be changed in the same, from high carbon and low sicone to low carbon for use in lazor cutting or spray welding..
as much as all can go RIGHT with a welded steel boat, the same holds true in what can go wrong..
as an inspector, you know the conditions, material, and proceedures involved are the formlula to a proper weld, But a steel boat, built in someones back yard, with little or no welding knowledge in unknown conditions is a recept for desater...
Durring NDT testing, I've found flaws is welds from certified welders, who are pros in their field and have been welding for many years..

[NeptunesTrident]

Some valid points. If you use an ASTM 36 or 50, you will have little trouble with memory. The steels are soft and hold up well to stress and will flex as much as needed in the water. One would not want to use the T-1 grade steels for a boat.

Most all welds one makes will contain a defect, somewhere, in some way. Procedures and matching material grades to filler metals can limit them. MT and UT methods can reveal flaws that do not show up in x-rays. I would use the MT method on a boat. It will find the flaws in the base metal as well. The deck would be a perfect candidate for that.

True, the one welding the boat would be of interest, but I was just saying, I would have no problem buying a steel boat. It will hold up better than fiberglass. It will move and flex, and it will hold up better under impact. Notch toughness is not even comparable.

[David_Old_Jersey]

IMO an older steel boat is simply not sufficiently PO proof.

[zeehag]

if you have passion, anything might be overcome in the preparation., as long as it continues to float and go forward, is all goood. smooth sailing!

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Connemara

Heard an interview last night (on my way back from the boatyard) with a guy who spent 30 years building his steel 40-footer from a set of plans. (And a bunch of steel, of course.)

He splashed it last weekend, somewhere in England.

With remarkable understatement, he said that he and his wife had missed out on lots of other things because they were building the boat.

Sailing among those other things, I would guess.

Connemara

Hmmm. 30 years for a 40-footer, that's almost 1 foot per year. I suspect he had more than a little time (if not money) to spare.

[NeptunesTrident]

I see we share the same birthdate, Aug 4th. I'm a 1950 baby tho.