Steel Boats

[JOHN WARD]

I Have Just Bought A Steel Fishing Boat 32 Ft In Need Of Restoration, The Hull Has Quite Alot Of Surface Rust, Can I Fill The Rust Spots In With Ant Sort Of Filler To Give A Smooth Apperance.
Thanks John

[lazeyjack]

you will need to KILL rust first, something like phosporic acid,after getting loose scale off, then paint with 250 microns dft epoxy then fill, then light paint then finish coat

[HPeer]

John,

I just joined this group myself. Your post inspired me to register.

I have a 33-foot steel sailboat. 1984. My rust issues are very moderate, thank GOD!

My strong suggestion is that you try out the Metal Boat Society forum. Like here it is free and informative. Many true experts who are willing to assist. Also the forum pages are a wealth of information already posted. Surely you could just lurk and come away with most questions answered.

http://metalboatsociety.org/

But be warned, they generally insist that to deal with rust you MUST get down to white metal and then do a complete protection package. I find their advice daunting.

I look at it this way, with moderate maintenance (not perfect) my boat will outlast my ability to sail it. Thats good enough. I want to sail not paint.

Best of luck.

Howard

[Ike]

As a member of the MBS I agree with their advice. When dealing with rust if you don't get down to base metal, it will be back before you can turn around and spit. I spent many years grinding rust off of Coast Guard ships and all the nasty chemicals in the world won't do much to stop it if you don't grind grind grind. However, the good news is if you do it right it will last for years.

[JOHN WARD]

Thanks that is a good help for a start, what can i fill the rusty areas with(product name) do i need to gring the rust all away or will the acid kill the rust once i have removed the worse, is haveing a steel hull boat a bad thing, or is it probably the best hull to have once it is preserved and treated in the correct manor.

Thanks again,
John.

[JOHN WARD]

Is The Metal Boat Society A Real Help, Or Is It Just Another Way Of Some One Making Money

[HPeer]

Real help, free.

[Water Woman]

Hi John, On one of my boats I had this problem, I used 80 grit sand paper...got rid of the rust, right down to there was a hole in the bottom of the boat. I filled with epoxy, sanded with 220 grit. then painted. That has been many years ago. Now I have other rust spots I have to content with. But the spots where I applied the epxoy are still in great shape. Good Luck

[JOHN WARD]

If There Is An Area Of Rust On The Hull Is It Not Easy To Just Cut Out The Rusty Section And Renew With New Plate, Looking At The Time It Takes To Sand And Grind Ect.

Thanks For The Help So Far.

John

[Wynand N]

Originally Posted by HPeer

Real help, free.

I believe you have to pay an entrance fee first....

There is only one way to get rust sorted out, shotblasting and you need that surface created by the shot for the paint to grip on. Through away the scalers, grinders and chemicals if you want the job done properly.

Remember, paint is only as good as its preparation.

[HPeer]

Lurking is free, good advice.

Membership, so you can post, costs something like $35. From their website. (And I want to apologize if I offend anyone here by directing someone there, especially since I am new. I just think that MBS is a great resource.)

A Word about Membership Costs

No one, of course, desires to waste money. People want good value for what they invest. As you wrestle with the issue of investing $35 or so to support M.B.S., one member suggests you consider this: The dues amount is more or less equal to the price of a how-to book! That's one book! Given that membership includes a subscription to the Metal Boat Quarterly, the only magazine of its kind, and full access to the over 10,000 posts and articles in the Metal Boat Forum and weighed against the cost of a properly constructed vessel, that initial investment pales in significance, and would seem rather a no-brainer.

In fact, we encourage you to check it out on us, and make this limited offer: Any new member who decides, for whatever reason, that paid membership in M.B.S. is not what it's cracked up to be, simply drop an email to the membership office and your dues will be refunded in full. No questions asked, although we would appreciate any feedback you might care to provide. Just let us know within 30 days of signing up, and we'll either credit your charge card or mail a check, whichever is appropriate.

[Ike]

What HPeer said!. I find it is a very valuable resource. Like BoatDesign.net, there are people who contribute to their forums that have years and years of experience with metal boats. And if you want they are an actual society with a quarterly newsletter and an annual Festival. It is a non-profit organization.

I occasionally refer people to MBS when they have a specific metal boat question that I have seen answered on that site.

[MikeJohns]

Ideal treatment as people have sail is to shot/grit/sand blast to class 3.

Unfortunately many haulout facilities will not allow blasting not is it always practical. Especially inside a fitted out boat.

Then throw away the chemicals as Wynand said but I'd keep the grinder and de-scaler.

If you cannot or do not want to blast the next best tool is the compressed air needle gun or de-scaler they remove paint and rust scale and can leave a passable surface for coating application. using a rotary wire-brush after the needle gun cleans things too and a brief sanding or grinding knocks of any sharp high spots that would compromise the paint. The trick is to get rid of all the scale, without a de-scaler you'll be down to knocking it out with a centre punch (if you don't blast).

Small deep pits can be welded up easily and with small application of weld with a MIG machine to slowly fill up a pit can often be achieved without even burning the inside paint with the welder on a lower setting.

Following cleaning there are a number of paint systems that work well. Epoxy is the toughest and it is required if using a following epoxy filler. Above the waterline you want a zinc rich primer coat. If conditions are less than ideal (warmish dry and low humidity) it can be a battle to get epoxy to adhere well and you will be better off with surface tolerant chlorinated rubber types or using a tent, dryer and heater.

There is another type of steel corrosion that is 'alive' and that is phosphating bacteria, in the damp dark recesses they eat the corrosion products of the steel that they encourage. Other corrosion (rust) needs air and moisture to continue and scale traps both in enough quantities to continue the task but surface rust is more easily treated often succesfuly (although not recommended) with a wire brushing-sanding and liberal coats of paint.

Salt water leaves chloride ions behind and they are quick to react with steel in the presence of moisture, problem areas are where there is trapped moisture cracked paint and chloride ions, then the corrosion starts again quickly in a few spots.

If you don't blast be prepared to follow up on a few patches each season until it's all sorted, consequently stick to an easily patched paint schedule.

[ted655]

Not that you were, but, I want to mention it. Auto body filler is NOT suitable. A good sandblast is something to consider. Also, have a good surveyer do a ultrasound thickness read on the hull. Lastl, remember that most steel boats rust from the inside first.

[JOHN WARD]

I Am Going To Sand Blast Te Hull, Does Any One Have An Answer To My Question About A Filler For Steel Hull Boats To Give A Smooth Appearance

Thanks,
John Ward.