The Steamboating Forum

Do you wanna go steaming or build a perfect boat? Problem is-What's a perfect boat? Only way to find out is get out there! Maybe you have other interests-what's wrong with that? I sometimes look at these Gold metal Olympic athletes and notice they have no life other than what they win Gold at. Me- I am only going to pass thru here once so I'm gonna try everything.Probably never win Gold but play at everthing!! Den

Adding ballast is very common (sailboats), most tugboats etc. In small steamboats, it doesn't necessarily signal a failure at design, it's more likely an assembled boat without enough weight in the plant and fittings to bring it down to the LWL, like the designer intended.

-Ron

If the hull is sea worthy and fits with your engine and boiler and is compatible for the number of passengers and waters you'll be sailing on I'd say get it as the money you save on the less expensive hull can go into tools and other items to help you gradually clean up the craftsmanship issues and you will be far happier getting out on the water steaming than watching the boiler rust in storage.

Mike Rometer wrote:One of the eternal dilemas. I have a similar situation, but have a load of other projects that really should be got out of the way first, and little space to park said beast. Many is the time I've rued letting a golden opportunity slip. You can only do what you can do, and hope it pans out in the end.

Due to space constraints etc. and that the hull perhaps required more TLC than I anticipated, I have allowed this one to slip through. Will I regret it? Time alone will tell. Probably, but I must clear my feet some or everything will come to a complete halt (that's, more so than it already has).