Steelcraft

[laura hinks]

Does anyone know anything about steelcraft narrow boats? Ive been told that they are formed on replicas of colecraft boat plans and the company was formed by former workers. I dont no if this is true. Does anybody know? 

Also are they any good? Do they have known faults?

Thanks

[rusty69]

Might be worth asking @KEDIAN

[Martin Kedian]

Steelcraft were based in the village of Old Northamptonshire it was owned by Mike Gration who was the foreman at Hancock and Lane boatbuilders based in Daventry Steelcraft were a small company building boats for both the trade and private buyers They ceased trading a number of years ago and more closely followed the lines of the Hancock and Lane Stable which evolved into their own product  I worked for them for a number of years  I formally worked for Hancock and Lane  The boats had no obvious issues  they were built with care and used good quality British steel  They produced boats for Welton field narrow boats I hope this helps  Best regards Martin 

[Athy]

I'm sure it does, it's about the best answer that Laura could hope for, thank you Martin.

The name Mike Gration rings a bell; did he (later?) build some tugs?

[Martin Kedian]

We built a number of work boats for the Indonesian swamps  Mike Gration died a few years back I have worked for a number of companies Hancock and Lane  Peter Nichols  Reeves boatbuilders Steelcraft and finally my own. www.kedianengineering.co.uk 

[laura hinks]

Wow thank you Kedian you really do know your stuff. I went to look at one yesterday with a view to buy and im glad to hear that the steel is good quaility. Its a 1986 and ive been told that steel was better quality then anyway. Another thing about the boat is that its water tank was built into the floor its self do you think this may be a problem as most are built out of stainless steel these days?

Also there was water right under the floor. The man i may be buying it off is a plumber so id like to rule out a leaky pipe. He said its condensation and drys up in the summer...do you think it could be masking anything serious? Thanks very much in advance

[Martin Kedian]

The built in tank is not great as you wouldn’t want to drink from it could easily be replaced by cutting out the steel bulkhead inside the cabin at the bottom which makes up the water tank. The water inside could be any number of things condensation possible which would need looking at insulation not up to speck  etc etc. But you can look forever does it have a certificate for insurance  

[laura hinks]

No it doesnt have a current insurance certificate on it. Why do you ask?

[Martin Kedian]

Let me have your number 

[Athy]

59 minutes ago, KEDIAN said:

The built in tank is not great as you wouldn’t want to drink from it 

True - but many boaters (including Mrs. Athy and I) never use the water from the tank for drinking anyway.

[Martin Kedian]

I prefer stainless an internal tank is not the best idea me thinks 

[cereal tiller]

1 hour ago, KEDIAN said:

The built in tank is not great as you wouldn’t want to drink from it could easily be replaced by cutting out the steel bulkhead inside the cabin at the bottom which makes up the water tank. The water inside could be any number of things condensation possible which would need looking at insulation not up to speck  etc etc. But you can look forever does it have a certificate for insurance  

Agreed,I Made a Stainless Fuel Tank for my Boat and used Plastic for the Water Tank.both still clean after 20 Years.

[laura hinks]

2 hours ago, Athy said:

True - but many boaters (including Mrs. Athy and I) never use the water from the tank for drinking anyway.

Oh i wood want to use the tank but if its not stainless i think it would probably have rust etc and the boats over 30 years old so its not good. The people who currently own it drink from it (so they tell me) but i wouldnt 

[rusty69]

10 minutes ago, laura hinks said:

Oh i wood want to use the tank but if its not stainless i think it would probably have rust etc and the boats over 30 years old so its not good. The people who currently own it drink from it (so they tell me) but i wouldnt 

A wooden tank would be no good.Plastic would be ok

[mrsmelly]

3 hours ago, laura hinks said:

Wow thank you Kedian you really do know your stuff. I went to look at one yesterday with a view to buy and im glad to hear that the steel is good quaility. Its a 1986 and ive been told that steel was better quality then anyway. Another thing about the boat is that its water tank was built into the floor its self do you think this may be a problem as most are built out of stainless steel these days?

Also there was water right under the floor. The man i may be buying it off is a plumber so id like to rule out a leaky pipe. He said its condensation and drys up in the summer...do you think it could be masking anything serious? Thanks very much in advance

One thing worth mentioning. I bought my first narrowboat in 1989 it was from the sixties. When I was looking at that time I was told that Steel was better from the sixties etc etc. I have had another six steel boat and each time the blurb is " Steel was better from so and so time " In thirty years time people will be saying old boats from around 2021 are of much better steel. Just sayin like.

[laura hinks]

2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

One thing worth mentioning. I bought my first narrowboat in 1989 it was from the sixties. When I was looking at that time I was told that Steel was better from the sixties etc etc. I have had another six steel boat and each time the blurb is " Steel was better from so and so time " In thirty years time people will be saying old boats from around 2021 are of much better steel. Just sayin like.

I was told by a boat welder friend of mine that the steel now is not marine grade its cheap to buy and doesnt have the same minerals in it. Bit like everything these days built for a quick turn over and profit at as little initial outlay...so the steel quality was better then according to him. 

Houses are the same now with their paper thin walls and small gardens. 

[mrsmelly]

4 minutes ago, laura hinks said:

I was told by a boat welder friend of mine that the steel now is not marine grade its cheap to buy and doesnt have the same minerals in it. Bit like everything these days built for a quick turn over and profit at as little initial outlay...so the steel quality was better then according to him. 

Houses are the same now with their paper thin walls and small gardens. 

If you say so

[bizzard]

A bit of rust won't hurt you, the iron'll give you extra strength and vitality.  One of the round the world sailors who was cast adrift in his rubber dinghy scraped the rust from the survival kits fish hooks for the iron content and ate it. With that rust and eating one baked bean every 24 hours from a small tin he reckoned he wouldn't have survived at all. I think the chap was Robin Knox Johnson.

[cereal tiller]

12 minutes ago, laura hinks said:

I was told by a boat welder friend of mine that the steel now is not marine grade its cheap to buy and doesnt have the same minerals in it. Bit like everything these days built for a quick turn over and profit at as little initial outlay...so the steel quality was better then according to him. 

Houses are the same now with their paper thin walls and small gardens. 

Yes, and the Original Ecofans were much better than the later ones which suffer from Ridicule and are Restrained by the Laws of Physics.

Edited November 27, 2017 by cereal tiller

[cereal tiller]

9 minutes ago, bizzard said:

A bit of rust won't hurt you, the iron'll give you extra strength and vitality.  One of the round the world sailors who was cast adrift in his rubber dinghy scraped the rust from the survival kits fish hooks for the iron content and ate it. With that rust and eating one baked bean every 24 hours from a small tin he reckoned he wouldn't have survived at all. I think the chap was Robin Knox Johnson.

You sure it was Robin Whasname? I thought was the Pie Bloke who Feasted on Shark Meat that his Pet Tiger caught for him..no Pastry though

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, cereal tiller said:

You sure it was Robin Whasname? I thought was the Pie Bloke who Feasted on Shark Meat that his Pet Tiger caught for him..no Pastry though

I didn't realise that was a true story

[Martin Kedian]

A friend of mine is an astronaut he swears the moon is made of cream cheese 

seriously steel is not cheaper a base plate for a boat is now £1600.00 the fact is British steel is no longer available it is now imported with certificates to declare its grade and comfformity  there is a grade of stainless steel that is classed as 316 this is marine grade but there is no marine grade mild steel the certificatation is of little value unless you can test the steel it relates to. The designation for mild steel of good quality is 43A 

Edited November 27, 2017 by Martin Kedian

[cereal tiller]

2 minutes ago, KEDIAN said:

A friend of mine is an astronaut he swears the moon is made of cream cheese 

seriously steel is not cheaper a base plate for a boat is now £1600.00 the fact is British steel is no longer available it is now imported with certificates to declare its grade and comfformity  there is a grade of stainless steel that is classed as 316 this is marine grade but there is no marine grade mild steel the certificatation is of little value unless you can test the steel it relates to. 

Stainless was better Quality when it was EN58J.

[Martin Kedian]

I Don’t get offers of buy two get one free 

[artleknock]

3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

One thing worth mentioning. I bought my first narrowboat in 1989 it was from the sixties. When I was looking at that time I was told that Steel was better from the sixties etc etc. I have had another six steel boat and each time the blurb is " Steel was better from so and so time " In thirty years time people will be saying old boats from around 2021 are of much better steel. Just sayin like.

The steel was better on old boats now because the ones still on the cut were looked after, the ones that weren't sank long ago.