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From: theluckyswede (no email)
Date: Thu Jul 03 2003 - 01:45:03 EDT
Hello World Cruising listees
It seems that there are quite a lot of mis-conceptions about the
quality of a steel boat when compared to fiberglass. I beleive first
off that everyone has their own opinion about the different
construction materials used in boat building. It is a shame when one
material is pitted against another. "steel versus fiberglass".
I know what it takes to build a very high quality steel vessel. My
own personal decision to build a vessel from steel was as follows.
1. I know how to fabricate and weld metal which is definitly a plus.
2. I understand how corrosion starts and how to eliminate or reduce
it to a very minimum by using sound construction methods.
3. I had looked at mumerous high quality fiberglass boats such as
nordhavn, krogen, etc and just could not afford to purchase a new
fiberglass (or steel) vessel. I wanted nothing older than a mid 90s
vintage. All of the vessels that met my criteria were out of my price
range except some that were 20 years old or more.
4. Steel one-off hulls are quck to build as there is no mold to deal
with. That is a huge cost factor that I faced in talking to
fiberglass builders. Since I knew I could not do the glass work I
knew the cost out of pocket would be to much.
5. With a one-off boat the vessel can be built just the way you like
it. This is the same with any boat building material. I had a list of
criteria that I wanted in the layout etc that production vessels did
not offer. This forced me to step into a custom vessel.
The above reasons are my own personal reasons and are not in any
way meant to pit one material against another.
As I build the Spirit Of Balto and think back to the time when I
was looking for a boat and the many that I did look at. I think how
glad and lucky I am to be building this boat. I have no concerns in
my mind at all that I have made a mistake in choosing steel to build
with. I think of how much money I have saved by doing much of the
work myself and the quality of boat I will have when Balto is built.
I will have a vessel that will be as low maintenance as can be.
I am not concerned about rust. If I was..... there are now hot zinc
coatings that you can coat the vessel with, (the process is called
metallizing) that virtually makes the vessel corroision proof. I have
looked into this and the cost was much less than I thought. As I get
closeer to that phase of the contruction I may opt for having the
vessel metalized.
As for the old foam issue......Pleeeeeeease! foam is steels best
friend.......Fill the vessel up with all you can and go right to the
keel with it and all condensation worries are history. I admit that I
am not using it in the engine room but am going to use a closed cell
stick on foamfor soaund mainly above the waterline and on the
bulkheads. The complete hull bottom and sides to 6" above the
waterline are all fuel tanks. The area under the engine is the only
area of the hull that is not going to be insulated.
As for foam burning.....well it is actually self extingiushing it is
the vapors that it gives off that are the problem. I imagine if
fiberglass caught on fire the vapors would also not be healthy for
you either. My view is don't worry about it use the materials that
are out there that enhance the quality of the vessel. Warm and dry is
foam.....wey, damp and rust is no foam. If it takes foam to stop the
boat from sweating use it. Forget muffin fans and worrying about rust
in the bilge.
I don't agree that the only place you can find quality steel vessels
is in holland. Yes the dutch know metal boats but so do many builders
here in the US and Canada. It is usually those steel boats built in
someones backyard using crude construction methods that give steel a
bad rap.
Well I hope this post helps anyone interested in a steel vessel
either buying one or building one. I am always happy to share my
experience and welcome those that are against steel as a quality
building material to take some time and come and see what a quality
steel vessel is like. Please feel free to check out my website
www.alaskatrawler.com. Sorry it is not up to date as I have been busy
with boat construction and don't have the time to update it.
Sincerely
Dan Walsh
MV Spirit Of Balto
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