Steel on the Black List?

[TXBoudy]

I've been planning on building one of Bruce Roberts' Euro Yachts from cut files one of these days and had all but decided to go with steel. I'm good with it and not used to aluminum. However, I've seen a number of posts on forums about difficulties with insuring steel boats and one guy couldn't get financing on a steel boat. Of course there's the obvious, "steel ain't supposed to float" but can someone shed some light as to if this is a coming trend in the market and maybe why?

The why question lends to future trends. If they are leaning toward newer composite hulls then is aluminum next on the list? I'd hate to start such a project and not be able to insure it on completion several years later.

Boudy

[dsuursoo]

part of it might be from the mistaken belief that steel will rust, whereas fiberglass/composites are supposed to be enduring forever(schyea... right). they might be going off of that, and not wanting to insure something that could rust out a hole and sink, and they'd have to pay out on it.

a lot of aircraft aluminum is pretty much like steel when working it, cept for the welding part, which really isn't so bad, just takes a LOT of practice, and preferably a TIG machine. MIG's okay, but the welds just aren't as nice, generally.

[waikikin]

TX, a well built steel vessel should be easy to insure, most of the worlds commercial vessels are built in steel, ferro cement vessels are hard to insure though. All the best with your build from Jeff.

[TXBoudy]

Thanks for the input. Here's one blurb that made me wonder, "I received a notice from National Marine Underwriters that they would no longer insure steel hulls and were canceling my insurance." I realize that commercially built vessels are almost exclusively steel so I was wondering if home and small scale builders were being targeted. They look for every angle to decrease exposure so nothing is surprising.

Boudy