Is it worth it?

[Underdog]

I would caution you against relying on a survey to assess what might be needed. I have had a few done in Oz and they missed nearly everything of importance. If you have someone experienced - really experienced - in steel boats, get them to have a look, otherwise get into the hull and look at all the areas that are impossible to look at/get to. Have a really good look at the anchor locker/hawse pipe area. That is a prime area for corrosion. You will probably need a survey anyway, for insurance purposes - just don’t think of it as competent.

[kurtis king]

While i encourage you to pursue your dream of buying a boat, i might toss my hat in the ring with your dad. Look for a boat that doesn't need so much work, believe me they all need something done to them. Never spent time on a steel boat but plenty of time on a ferro cement. there are plenty of good older fiberglass boats out there in the $20k range.

[wtmf]

my father is concerened about how i spend my money on my home/boat. he thinks it will cost to much and i tell him it will cost the same as a house, allowing for property tax, electricity and all the on going bills land lubbers have. i travel and will not have to spend money on airfare or deal with TSA and visa will eithet approved or not without land based hassle. so is it worth it, if you use it the heck out of it YES!

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Bourne

Go for it. Partner and self worked on a steel boat for some years. Moitessier (read his books) says that a lot of rubbish is talked about upkeep on the steel you have to paint it and a achimpanze can paint. Also todays paints are much improved..

Problem isn't the paint as such. It's the preparation. A boat that has been let go will be challenging when it comes to preparing areas of corrosion to a level that ensures a new protective coating will remain effective. Mastics help, but accessibility is still an issue.

[jimisbell]

"You will probably need a survey anyway, for insurance purposes - just don’t think of it as competent."


Amen. Steel boat surveyors are hard to come by AND they still miss a lot. You will want a "commercial boat surveyor" with experience in steel. They dont all have it and almost NO pleasure boat surveyor will have ever surveyed a steel boat. Took me a month to find one I thought I could trust and he missed all the big stuff. Found the little stuff like a plugged sink drain.....lol

[GrowleyMonster]

If you were a seaman with 20 years experience chipping and painting with a bit of blasting and maybe even some marine welding thrown in, I would say spring for a survey. A bargain, this boat isn't, IMHO, but if you have foolishly allowed yourself to fall in love with her then it would be doable and the price probably not too far out of line. There is a very good chance that some hull or deck plate will want replacing. Don't double. Remove and replace. Frames and stringers might or might not be sound. Rust between them and hull plating can be an issue and is not so simple to remedy.


4-108 is an elderly but decent engine, and with low hours, it would serve, just fine. Rebuild is usually practical, too. Its only real fault is the rear seal on practically all of them, leaks oil into the bilge.


Yes, you can reduce your expenses by living aboard while you refit, for the most part of it. The thing is, there are much cheaper options out there. A sturdy 70's fiberglass boat, for instance. Ferrocement? IMHO only if you know for a fact that it is very well built. Then, you got a pretty much bulletproof hull. I do think that high quality hull repairs are more straightforward and certain, on fiberglass boats, though. By late 80s a lot of builders were laying up much thinner hulls. In the 70s, they didn't really know what they could get away with, so many economical working family type boats were overbuilt, and good to go for who knows... probably 100 years for many of them.



Refits can be horribly expensive, or they can be not so bad. I figure I am looking at $60k, tops, to fit out the 1979 Bruce Roberts 44 I just bought for under $10k. Then, I should have a boat that could be sold at $50k for my $70k investment. That's how it goes. Boats are not usually very sensible purchases, economically speaking. Its not like I need it to live on. I was perfectly okay living on my 27 footer until I hooked up with current GF who owns a nice house in a decent neighborhood and demands that I sleep "at home". Still got that little boat, too and she is comfortable enough, me living aboard alone. I just like the new to me, much bigger boat, a lot more. It is big and fat, lots of room down below, solid as mount rushmore. Never actually completed... not even a head installed. A blank slate, sort of, and one that I have a vision for. Smart purchase? Not. Enjoyable purchase/project/posession/getaway? Yeah, I think so. Time will tell.



An equivelant steel boat? Me, I AM a seaman and HAVE done thousands of hours of chipping and painting and blasting and burning and welding. And I wouldn't touch it unless I owned property adjoining a deep water channel with no covenants or restrictions regarding noise, welding, etc. No way I would pay a yard to keep her on the hard for two or three years. No way I would pay someone to do the work which is at the very least going to be significant and at worse will be an overwhelming feat of labor and perseverence. Steel is an excellent material in which to build a boat. It is not always so excellent a material to have and maintain. It is sometimes a terrible material to refit/restore though you could get lucky.



Bottom line is if I were you, I would probably keep looking. If I were me, I would still keep looking. I could of course be dead wrong about that particular boat, just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth, which is about what you paid for it.

[edexter]

BOAT = "Break out another thou$and." Our old 22 footer costs thousands a year in upkeep, and I do most of it. Sounds like you are handy and could do most of it, especially with mates to help lift the heavy stuff (on a 40 footer even the boom is heavy, and you need a crane to restep the mast, which I can do myself).


BUT... it's instant vacation. Taking her out to a nearby island for lunch, and just sitting there is very relaxing. And we're around the world from you in the Chesapeake, so there are waterfront restaurants with docks all over the place...


If it passes the inspection, look at the list of "what must be fixed" versus "what I can fix later", and price it out. Steel boats can be very sturdy, and if the interior was well done, maybe the rest got good maintenance until the owner got sick. In which case, dive in!

[MicHughV]

...this is an interesting topic.
I built a steel Roberts 38 many years ago and was also involved in the construction of several other steel boats.
Originally, I had estimated 9 months to build it, ha, was I ever wrong. 3 years later I finally launched it, but was still working on it.

In the course of time I also installed, removed, replaced several diesel engines.
That aside, I am a structural engineer by profession.

Several posters on this thread have adequately addressed concerns about buying a used steel boat and I don't think I can add more to that.
One must also realize, that after you have spent 1,000's to fix it up, the day will come, when you will also want to sell it by which time it will be a "cheap" boat again.
That boat is " cheap" for a reason. There is a difference between " cheap" and a "bargain".
Just pulling the engine and getting it rebuilt will cost an arm and a leg. Despite being a sailboat, you will use that engine more than you think. Together with the engine, comes the fuel tank, filtration system, exhaust system, batteries, charging system, shaft log, shaft and prop. All told, you will spend a bundle on just these items and you havn't even touched the hull yet.
The entire rig will need a good looking at, mast, standing rigging, sails, running rigging, etc. Again, a survey will quickly determine the useful life remaining, and new sails,like a new engine, will set you back a lot more than you think.
Next comes the hull. While steel is very strong and forgiving, unless it is properly blasted, primed and painted, you will spend a lifetime chasing and repairing rust.
New electronics is in a realm all by itself.
I would never discourage anyone from setting sail and voyaging, but your dreams must be tempered by reality.