Stainless steel hull test and rehab

I have acquired a 1976 Dutch sailboat made of 316 stainless steel hull. I want to verify the hull integrity and wonder what is the best way to test…I will be either sand blasting or laser cleaning after inspection.

obviously if the boats hull is great as it seems to be I would be seeking best bottom capote and paint for this material

any information would be helpful and free labor is great too lol

Avila beach California area

 

Welcome to the Forum Water E.

Do you know who was the designer and builder of your yacht?
She looks very similar to the Trewes ketches that were built in Holland in the 70's - they later became Jongert.
They were well known for using a lot of filler for fairing the hull - and there is obvious filler visible in your second photo.
Are you planning on blasting the whole hull back to bare metal?
It looks like an angle grinder has already been applied to various areas of the starboard topsides, as shown in your third photo.
There appears to be signs of rusting on the superstructure underneath the wheel shelter - is this area also built with stainless steel?
The wheel shelter appears to be timber (?)
I presume that she is fitted with zinc anodes below the waterline (?) - what condition are they in, and how many anodes are there?
Have you found any areas of crevice corrosion?
Re hull integrity, you can measure the hull thickness in different areas with an ultrasound meter, and compare these readings against the original hull thickness (if known).

 

I'd be wanting to check for cracks around the steering gear area, and keel into hull areas, and sea cocks; stainless steel can become brittle and crack. Ultrasound or Xray, or whatever available affordable. Or at least bare metal and a crack finder spray paint can system. A crack can become a tear, and possibly sink you.

 

The best way to verify a 316 stainless steel hull is with a thorough visual inspection for cracks or corrosion and ultrasonic thickness testing to check for thinning or hidden defects. After confirming the hull is sound, you can proceed with sand blasting or laser cleaning and then apply a marine epoxy primer and paint suitable for stainless steel.

 

Testing for cracks is easy with a dye kit. It is pretty cheap too.
(HAO) Visible Dye Penetrant Crack Testing Kit - Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=1207&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21199728652&gbraid=0AAAAAD-keiA3GTFzzTJqQKhawhGGcA2jM&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_8TJBhDNARIsAPX5qxTX2MVPe52ak96UZBEA1dh0Y_SDVdrTXKOIyU-rfCCwLMZLC6HVa6oaAnpuEALw_wcB

 

@Water E has not logged in since that day back in March when he made his only post about his yacht.
If you find this thread again, can you give us an update please?