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Jeff, having built a 50' steel boat, it's hard for me not to jump in here and point out that today's epoxies have made a large difference in the longevity of steel hulls. Where a steel hull built in the 70's say, and coated with enamels, may very well have an internal rust problem today, had she been properly blasted inside and out and then coated with epoxy, there's no reason to suppose that she will have lost 1/2 her plating thickness in 25 years, provided there are no water traps in the interior, and that she has had normal maintenance. Obviously if the metal is abraded it must be recoated... that's normal maintenance. My own hull is cor-10, with mill certs, has no internal water traps, and was blasted twice (once before plating, one side of all the plates, and the whole frame, and then again inside and out after final welding) before getting 7 coats of epoxy. I'm sure she will outlive me. Not all 25 year old steel boats are shot; there are literally hundreds of them in Holland right now. And incidentally, my boat weighs about 11-12% more than the equivalent fibre glass boat, has correspondingly slightly more sail area and a little more horse power, and is, in my opinion, significantly stronger, Gringo being a case in point. Different strokes, is all. Regards, Bob
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