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