Fitting out a steel hull with wood?

[cluttonfred]

Does anyone have any good sources, whether books or something online, for best practices in fitting out a steel hull with wood interior and/or superstructure?

I am considering commissioning a steel hull along the lines of Tom MacNaughton's Hero 33 concept -- Freighter Houseboat http://www.macnaughtongroup.com/freighterhb.htm -- but I am having a hard time finding a good reference for how best to fit out such a hull.

I am thinking about not just the woodwork but also questions of insulation and ventilation particular to steel hulls.

I am not fond of spray foam insulation and I think the very rectilinear shape of something like the Hero would make it much easier to do everything with rigid foam panels and plywood with solid wood trim.

Cheers,

Matthew

 

[rangebowdrie]

Rigid foam only traps condensation,, the boat rusts from the inside out.

 

[bajansailor]

Here is a wonderful article written by Danny Greene for Cruising World 30 years ago about how he outfitted his 34' steel ketch Brazen - her interior is completely modular, and in the article he notes that he can strip it out to a bare shell in a day.
You might have to save these copies to your computer, and then enlarge them in order to read them easily.

 

[kapnD]

Bajansailor, thanks for that link!
The concept can be applied to any type of hull, allowing flexibility and access to hidden spaces so common on boats today.
Also modular building is tremendously easier than building in place.
I’ve had to attack some beautiful work with the sawzall due to “built in” interiors.

 

[jehardiman]

I am thinking about not just the woodwork but also questions of insulation and ventilation particular to steel hulls.

The classic method is to install a wooden ceiling bolted to the frame faces and attach all joiner work to that in a very similar method to wooden construction. Any insulation is kept off the actual plating and against the ceiling, leaving an airgap from bilge to shear strake (there are vents in the topmost ceiling piece) so natural circulation keeps condensation down, and any drains to the bilge.

The concept can be applied to any type of hull, allowing flexibility and access to hidden spaces so common on boats today.

One should tread carefully here, as many nations' Customs Officers take a poor view to built in, ultimately accessible, "hidden compartments".

 

[Barry]

These books have some/limited information about fitting out a steel/aluminum boat

Boatbuilding with Steel Klingel
Metal Boats Roberts-Goodson

 

[Trevor Richard Hunt]

Does anyone have any good sources, whether books or something online, for best practices in fitting out a steel hull with wood interior and/or superstructure?

I am considering commissioning a steel hull along the lines of Tom MacNaughton's Hero 33 concept -- Freighter Houseboat http://www.macnaughtongroup.com/freighterhb.htm -- but I am having a hard time finding a good reference for how best to fit out such a hull.

I am thinking about not just the woodwork but also questions of insulation and ventilation particular to steel hulls.

I am not fond of spray foam insulation and I think the very rectilinear shape of something like the Hero would make it much easier to do everything with rigid foam panels and plywood with solid wood trim.

Cheers,

Matthew

Slight off topic question, but does anyone know the rough cost of a professional steel hull built of around the 25 to 30ft LOA know roughly how much it would cost using 4mm Cortron or similar plates, BUT only for the hull of a classic lifeboat design, so no topsides. Also kind of tempted to galvanise the plates.
My present lifeboat build is an alloy one, but the final production version will be steel. Early days as I still need to finish the build and test the boat, although the hull design is well known offshore ships lifeboat during the 60's.