questioning my sanity!

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Bod, Nov 19, 2015.

  1. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Location: Leicester

    Bod Junior Member

    Hi, iv stumbled on a rotting 34' steel yacht hull and fallen for her. plan is to build a plywood and epoxy roof and make her a houseboat with lots of solar power and later a motorsailor.

    iv experience with GRP and wood but this is my first steel project so a little daunted. hull is sound but has been sat in salt water for 3 years. the inside looks worse as she has been used as a rainwater butt!! anyway she is coming out of the water next week so i can start.

    any tips on checking the steel as im a novice in this area? i understand zinc oxide paint is the way...

    she has a big engine. im told a ford 1.8d marine engine modelled on the fiesta van pre 95'. this is guesswork as far as i can tell. all the part numbers corresspond to fiesta van 1.8d, does anyone know if ford made a marine engine like this?

    should be a beauty once shes done, she has a flat bottom but i think i will put a small bilge keel on to beach and protect the prop. lots and lots of work but should be worth it :)
     

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  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Zinc Oxide paint ? I doubt that has any anti-corrosive impact. Handy in sunburn cream though !
     
  3. rasorinc
    Joined: Nov 2007
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    rasorinc Senior Member

    Get her up off the ground and covered and dry her out compliantly. Even provide extra heat if you can. Then start cleaning her out.
     
  4. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Bod Junior Member

    not sure where i got the oxide from, it appears that would help a nappy rash! i had in mind zinc galvanising paint.

    iv got rust treatment paint called kurust which turns surface rust black which i find very useful on bikes. is it a good idea on a boat? i know gringing out every last bit of rust is nigh impossible...
     
  5. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    "kurust" sound more like a phosphoric acid treatment which changes the rust into another, more stable compound. You'd be best to follow methods and materials proven in steel boat maintenance, of which no doubt much info can readily be found.
     
  6. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

  7. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Zinc Oxide (white zinc) is used in paints, but lacks the opacity of the premier white pigment, Titanium Oxide.
     
  8. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Bod Junior Member

    im in the right place then gonzo :)
    so first thing i do when shes on the yard is go at the hull with a pick axe... eek :p

    Mr efficiency you think the rust treatment is a bad idea then? i know the most important factor is paint, which i will spare no expense on, but could the rust treatment be used in places where i cant physically remove the rust?
     
  9. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    If you can't remove the rust, it'll just continue to rust, regardless of what you put on it. If that puppy is just sitting in the mud and has for a while, you should just run as fast as you can in the other direction.
     
  10. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Bod Junior Member

    Par it has occurred to me! but committed now so just need to get it right. luckily the outside is mostly rust free. i will remove ALL exterior rust and get good 2 pack paint on. the inside has a lot of surface rust especially around the steel frame supports. would rust treatment be ok on the inside? considering it will be bone dry and a fully insulated house boat...
     
  11. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    If that boat has been sitting, as I suspect it has, the bottom plates will likely need to be replaced. This will expose the lower sections of the floors, frames and stringers, providing you a real idea of how bad things actually are. Since you're new to this sort of thing, a professional inspection (survey) should be the first priority, which will let you know how much trouble you're looking at. Again, as I suspect after which you'll cry a bit, but will be doing so running away, eating only the cost of the survey, instead of thousands of dollars in replacement metal. Even if the hull is repairable, it's only a fraction of the rest of the project. Plumbing systems (multiple types), electrical systems (multiple types), electronics, propulsion, cooling (often multiple types), exhaust, HVAC, furniture and other accommodation needs, etc. I just don't think you know what's in store for you yet. A survey will give you a clue.
     
  12. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Bod Junior Member

    thats a bleak apraisal! it has been sitting 3 years but is picked up on the top of a big tide if that makes any difference?!
    if it needs some plating welding on i dont see it being thousands, its only a 34 ft boat and the boat is still quite new, it briefly became a daytrip boat after an abandoned yacht project. it is coming out of the water in a week so then i will know more.
    aside from the steel work im not new to this, iv been fitting out boats and campers for years so i know how much of a ball ache iv got! :)
     
  13. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Welcome to the asylum; at least we run it and not the doctors.
     
  14. Rusty Nuts
    Joined: Nov 2015
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    Location: U.K.

    Rusty Nuts New Member

    Lancing marine do kits to put on the ford 1.6/1.8 diesel.
    It was most probably an auto engine so cheap for parts & service, as it`s fresh water/antifreeze cooled via heat exchanger no need for anything special, Ignore "brass core/Freeze plug" wombles that shout the odds in some forums as there are no differences in either applicaton. All the marinising is in raw water cooling the exchanger and probably the exhaust.
    There are differing ways of cooling the heat exchanger, but by the look of your manifold I would guess a seacock fitting through a strainer to a jabsco pump up to the exchanger exiting into the exhaust mixer will be your raw water side cooling...
     

  15. Bod
    Joined: Aug 2012
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    Location: Leicester

    Bod Junior Member

    Got the engine started today, its seems in good condition and turns over at low revs nicely :)
    Yes it has heat exchanger with air intake/ exhaust and coolant all combined with sea cock... I have heard that marine versions are detuned and are adjusted to allow for running at constant rpm for long periods... I dont know if this is a myth?!?!

    Im feeling a little more sain now, 1 problem solved, 4000 to go :p
     
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