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  1. #31

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    The intended use could justify the cost. Don't recall any of those Alaskan crabbers being fiberglass.

  2. #32

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    Have no fear of a metal boat. Quite a few of the fiberglass boats out there have been painted as well. There's no magic formula, and both metal and glass are easy to work on, repair, etc.

    The older Burgers are either Sparkman or Hargrave. Both are quality designs with plenty of familiarity to our Hatts.

  3. #33

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    I see that everything keeps me going back to Hatteras. A bit easier and less expensive than steel.

  4. #34

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    In the metal hulls I've seen, failure to coat the inside with materials that last (like modern epoxy primers and paints) leads to corrosion. Also, any exterior penetration, screws, bolts, etc. should be coated with Tefgel. These weren't things Chris Craft did with the Roamer line, and I suspect Striker and Burger are about the same. On my Roamer, the hull was coated on the inside with bitumastic, a thick, asphalt-like material, and painted silver. As long as oil never touches it, it's great stuff and appears to last forever. But in the engine room oil mist is inevitable, and with that the coating breaks down and that's where the corrosion begins.

    On my aluminum Roamer the corrosion wasn't bad at all, and that was a boat that sat unloved in a boatyard for two decades. The only places where the exterior paint and primer coatings failed were a couple of spots on the mahogany toe rail because the bedding compound failed, letting water between the deck and wood, which was bolted in using chromed bronze machine screws; the transom where fancy exhaust parts were bolted to the hull using bronze hardware; and along the rub rail where the stainless steel screws went into aluminum. Time will tell if my re-engineering and modern materials keeps the paint alive better than the original.

    As to fiberglass being less maintenance, I think it depends. I find the old gelcoat on my Chris Craft Commander to be a real pain to keep shiny. It needs monthly waxing to keep a shine on it, which is hardly better than my old wooden Connie that I had to paint every three years. But if I just let it go chalky, the maintenance is a breeze...the boat just looks like hell.

    And when bottoms blister, which isn't something Chris Crafts are prone to, but on other boats, oy vey...tell me all about "maintenance free" fiberglass!

  5. #35

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    Hi
    Had a steel 48 foot sailboat for about 10 years..sailed from Seattle to Florida...I will never own another steel boat...Rust does not sleep

  6. #36

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    I had an aluminum boat, a Striker. They are sturdy, but as he says, rust (or corrosion) never sleeps, and if you're thinking about it, you don't either. And no Hatteras ever sank from blistering.

  7. #37

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    I owned a 50' Aluminum Pilothouse built by the dutch company Trintella.

    I maintained it well and paid attention to the details and all was fine. I was never completely at ease and and it did have a teak deck. I eventually sold it and my next boat was fiberglass.

    For me, no more teak decks! I also prefer the relative simplicity of fiberglass that even I can fix.


    Jonathan Brein

  8. #38

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    Quote Originally Posted by jim rosenthal View Post
    I had an aluminum boat, a Striker. They are sturdy, but as he says, rust (or corrosion) never sleeps, and if you're thinking about it, you don't either. And no Hatteras ever sank from blistering.
    A well maintained boat made of any material will still be a quality boat. Aluminum, steel, fiberglass, all have their issues/challenges, and all require care and use.

  9. #39

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    Quote Originally Posted by rtrafford View Post
    A well maintained boat made of any material will still be a quality boat. Aluminum, steel, fiberglass, all have their issues/challenges, and all require care and use.
    True, with metal all welded railing and etc. would be best with few exterior fasteners as possible. Of course that goes for any boat. All welded construction is another thing I like about metal, seems it would offset a lot of long term maintenance.

  10. #40

    Re: Anyone owned a steel boat in the past?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tinman View Post
    True, with metal all welded railing and etc. would be best with few exterior fasteners as possible. Of course that goes for any boat. All welded construction is another thing I like about metal, seems it would offset a lot of long term maintenance.
    In addition, I've had the pleasure of learning quite a bit about fiberglass boats that most never see or experience, hopefully none of which are negatively impacted. Fiberglass boats are not impervious, and often they aren't built to high standards.

    That includes Hatteras. These boats ALL must be maintained. Most are neglected/taken for granted. In that regard fiberglass is quite forgiving, and staying in reasonably sheltered waters removes a lot of the hazard.

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