Steel Boat Repair

Discussion in 'Metal Boat Building' started by palace, Oct 29, 2014.

  1. palace
    Joined: Oct 2014
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    Location: SPAIN

    palace Junior Member

    Hi All

    I have the opportunity to buy this boat very cheap :cool: but I dont know if it s possible her restored by myself or It s gone a be nightmare ...:mad:

    Also there is rust in the Rudder hole - Rudder stock and in the Stern tube quite bad. I think the boat is in the water with out any care around 10 years

    Is all lost ? :confused:

    What are your thoughts?

    Thanks in advance

    Nacho
     

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  2. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Where in Spain are you?
     
  3. palace
    Joined: Oct 2014
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    palace Junior Member

    I am in the mediterraneam sea, Mar menor ( Murcia)
     
  4. Ad Hoc
    Joined: Oct 2008
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    Ad Hoc Naval Architect

    If you're thinking of buying the boat then I would suggest paying a surveyor to have a look. Since it is hard to tell if the rust is simply surface rust or is much worse and where else the rust is lurking...and is it owing to poor maintenance or much worse.

    Pay now or pay later!
     
  5. Poida
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Poida Senior Member

    I think this is a personal thing.

    How much of the repairs can you do yourself or do you have to pay someone else to do it.

    If there is too much rust, how much would it cost to strip it sandblast it and recoat it. Cut out and replace or machine any components.

    And of course the cost of dry docking.

    I have read (somewhere) the maintenance cost of a boat annually, equals 10% of its new purchase price. So even if you purchase a large boat cheap it can cost more than you can afford to maintain it.

    Poida
     
  6. waikikin
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    waikikin Senior Member

    If you like it & have or can develop the skills to fix it.... get it, steel is cheap.... if not labour & extended hardstand start to add up quick!!!! then maybe buy something else.
    How much is it, at free to a few thousand that "could" be a lot of fun... or a headache;)

    All the best from Jeff.
     
  7. palace
    Joined: Oct 2014
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    palace Junior Member

    boat repair

    Thanks for the answers :), the plan is to do most of the repairs myself :, i have space in my house ..... but first I want to take the boat out of the water, to see how much is the rust and the work to fix it.
     
  8. AndySGray
    Joined: Jun 2014
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    Location: Cayman

    AndySGray Senior Member

    If you've got the room, much of the work can be done for a fraction of what a marina will charge.

    As long as the surveyor is there when you take her out the water, and the hull is sound below the waterline you'll be fine. A surveyor will almost always cover his fee in terms of haggle ammo. "We both knew about the problems with A, B, and C and you wanted $X but the professional survey shows 2 grand of problems with D, E and F so can we shake on 2 grand less - after all you can't sell it for the original price now you know about the extra issues..."

    You might need some capital available for heavy duty tools but remember that they hold value well - A Sandblast pot and compressor may set you back 5 or 6 grand but once jobs done you'll sell them for 80-90% of what you paid. ditto on a good industrial quality welder.

    Don't be scared of a little rust - you often get a much better job painting a properly prepared piece of rusty steel than one fresh from the steelmill - many boat builders will deliberately let the new steel rust as this loosens the mill scale and gives a stronger paint adhesion.
    That loose paint at the front could well be that...

    Don't skimp on paint - a boat that size will easily cost 3 grand plus, just for materials if you include the antifouling..
     
  9. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Think of the worse case, where the bottom needs re-plating. Figure out the expense and deduct it from the value of the boat in good condition. That should be your buying price.
     
  10. Nick.K
    Joined: May 2011
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    Location: Ireland

    Nick.K Senior Member

    Hello Palace. Did you buy it?
    The rust didn't look too bad in the photos. If it was 'very cheap' I'd say it could be worth doing. Let us know how you get on..
    Nick
     
  11. cgoodwin
    Joined: Mar 2011
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    Location: Seattle

    cgoodwin Junior Member

    Audio gauge the hull that will tell you how much wastage there is.

    Pay close attention to bulkhead to hull areas, they are trickier to repair.

    Pull the boat and her it media blasted to white steel, immediately have an epoxy paint applied at the thickness suggested by the manufacturer and follow with an epoxy top coat.

    The beauty of steel is that you can cut and weld replacement plates just about anywhere.

    Find out why water is being trapped in the areas in the photos, looks like adding some limber holes might be a good idea.
     
  12. d1970
    Joined: Jun 2012
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    d1970 Junior Member

    Nacho, would you have any update on this?
     
  13. palace
    Joined: Oct 2014
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    Location: SPAIN

    palace Junior Member

    metal boat

    Yes, Finally I got the boat very cheap so , right now is sitting in my back yard and i am in the process to take out the inside ( engine, wood etc) I think I have to change some plates ,but most are ok ( I am planning to change all plates below 3mm ) . So will see...
     
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  14. Nick.K
    Joined: May 2011
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    Nick.K Senior Member

    I've spent much of my free time over the last three years renovating a steel hull...and learned a lot doing it...but the hardest lesson has been that though I enjoy steel work, I enjoy being on the water more!

    My advice; do the absolute minimum that you have to do to get the boat on the water. Sail it in the summer and work on it in the winter, over several winters if necessary.

    Have you had the hull ultrasound tested?
    Where is it corroded and by what cause?
    Is there pitting on the outside surface?

    You could be making a lot of work for yourself by stripping out the interior where it may only be necessary to chip and paint and then prevent more water coming in.
    An effective chipping tool if you don't have a needle scaler is an SDS type hammer drill with a 6mm bit with the carbide end cut off. (Your neigbours will hate you) Before stripping a lot out, use that on any internal plate where there is scale. If you don't go through the plate it's probably ok.
    (I'm assuming you're not planning on ocean voyaging?)

    For the exterior, blasting and epoxy is the only solution, anything else is a waste of time and money.
    Nick
     

  15. AndySGray
    Joined: Jun 2014
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    Location: Cayman

    AndySGray Senior Member

    Congrats

    Just remember that a large boat shaped lump of metal will be an 'idiot magnet',

    You'll get no end of 'friends', acquaintances, relatives and neighbours passing by and giving you helpful :( comments like

    Ooh that looks like a really big job,
    You've got a lot of work there
    You're going to run out of money
    That'll take years

    and all sorts of similar morale sapping Bullscat

    The best way to deal with them is to ignore what they actually said and reply as though they asked if they could help...

    Cool, there's a spare overall (coverall) on the bench, grab a (scraper/grinder/wirebrush or other handtool of the day), WE'll have her finished in no time...

    You'll get some free labour or they will avoid you like the plague in future - either is a win ;)

    :D
     
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