Steel Boats, the Steel King line, and the Grafton Boat Works

Steel Boats – the family Steel King

Steel boats are sturdy, and yet lend themselves to creature comfort and pleasurable cruising.  Steel King boats were popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and played a big part in my growing up years.  My family owned a steel boat – a 26 foot cruiser, one of several models and styles rolled out over the years by Grafton Boat in Grafton, Illinois.

These pages contain some of the history I’ve come across.  “The Waterways Journal”, in an article from January 1966, stated “Grafton has been the scene of boat-building since 1892”.  Here is their photo, used with permission, of the factory in the era when my family’s boat was built:

Home of Steel King boats decades ago, courtesy “The Waterways Journal”

Why Steel Boats Impressed Me

Recalling a time when our boat slowly bumped onto a shallow round-topped rock while we were maneuvering for a good fishing spot, I can attest to this sales point:

There was that fear of a cracked hull you would get with the then-prevalent wooden-hull cruisers, but in no time our boat was backed off with no damage! (OK, maybe some paint scraped off but it did no harm)

The sales material goes into why…

It also goes on to say “Every glamorous new Steel King is constructed of quality materials “By Master Boat Builders”. The hull is of 12 ga. special alloy steel all electric welded and sand blasted…She has a double chine and flared sides, making her a fast, dry boat in any kind of weather. The engine is rubber mounted and has direct internal cable controls… The fuel tank is vented overboard, and copper lines run to the engine with shut off valve… The cabin is of fine light red Philippine mahogany, finished and protected by a sealer and three coats of marine spar varnish… floor boards are coated with a preservative and covered with inlaid linoleum. Bunks and seats are upholstered with top quality embossed plastic material”

 The Other Steel King Boats

Searching back into history, especially when decades have gone by since the last of the Steel Kings floated into the water, is a bit tedious, much like an archeological expedition.  Thankfully, there are still people out there either with knowledge of the Steel King boat era or who actually own one who are willing to share that information.  Without them, these pages would go empty.  It’s fun to research over time and see what’s still out there, how the boats are being used, and discover some of the history behind them.  This is fueled by the fun I had as a kid on my father’s 26′ foot Steel King cruiser.  Older now, I realize there must have been a bunch of people who enjoyed Steel King boats, and that the model I knew wasn’t the only one out there.  In this site I hope to bring forward some information of interest to steel boat fans.  Enjoy!

CIRCA 1959 – note the distinctive arrow on the hull.  It was green on this boat and combined the slanted strip and arrow, seen separately on the models below which preceded her.

CIRCA 1957 – note the full-width open cabin window forward, compared to the later models.  The arrow on the hull is without the thicker stern-end stripe of a few years later.

“Mystery” Steel King circa 1950’s

CIRCA late 50′s – note similar lines to the boat above, however forward cabin window is split, as is the cockpit window.  Also, small bow windows appear here similar to the 26 foot cruiser model above and the hull striping is thicker toward the bow half and has no arrowhead

another Steel King model circa late 50’s

Late 1950’s – 24 foot (assumed from the “24” on the wooden side panel)

24 foot Steel King on trailer, circa 1950’s

Mid 1960’s – This was built by the Grafton Boat Company and is a 35 passenger high speed crewboat for the Portland Oregon area.

Grafton workboat, courtesy “The Waterways Journal”

These sturdy boats came from a long-gone boat yard, but served many boaters well, both pleasure and commercial.  If you have any Steel King stories, please share them in the comments section below!

NOTE: Some information is from Boating Magazine of the era (Boating Magazine – Grafton Steel King)