Steel Yachts

Heavy, reliable, and durable, steel is often used in the construction of displacement yachts designed for long-distance travel - expedition yachts, explorers and trawlers.

A well-maintained steel hull can last for decades if regularly repainted and kept rust-free. Because of their rigid structure, steel vessels are very stable even in stormy conditions. After a hard hit against an underwater object, a steel hull may bend and become dented, but it will not break as a fiberglass boat. Also unlike GRP, steel is not flammable.

The biggest downside of the material is electrolytic and galvanic corrosion. As a result, a steel hull needs much more maintenance than a fiberglass one. A steel hull should be thoroughly checked and sanded, grinded or blasted at the slightest sign of rust. The hull then should be covered with multiple layers of rust converter, primer, and paint.

On the move, steel yachts are much noisier, since steel doesn’t have the sound insulation qualities of plastic or wood. Steel hulls need good sound and heat insulation, otherwise it will be not only very noisy inside, but also too hot in summer.

There are hundreds of new and used steel motor yachts on sale on itBoat.com. To purchase a steel yacht, submit a request on the page of the boat you like.

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How are steel yachts built?

Building a boat from steel requires more complicated work than building a fiberglass boat. After designers prepare layouts for steel cutting, steel sheets are laser cut in accordance with these documents. Then the hull elements are assembled and welded. The hull is sand blasted and primed before the paint job.

The superstructure (usually made from aluminum to save weight and lower the center of gravity) is assembled separately and then joined with the hull – usually after all the large items like the engines, prop shafts and even living accommodation assemblies have been installed and secured inside the hull. 

What types of engines are used on steel yachts? 

Steel yachts have slow and heavy full displacement hulls, so they need a low center of gravity and powerful engines. Shaft drives driven by big marine diesels or diesel-electric hybrid propulsion systems fully meet these conditions. The most famous manufacturers of shaft-driven marine propulsion systems are MAN, CAT, Cummins, and Deutz.