17 foot steel boat off Long Island

[Diver1111]

Was cruising and scanning the east shore of LI; Saw an object to my right that caught my interest (1st image I got didn't look like much at all as is often the case-you need to read between the lines alot); Dove it and found an old boat with a steel hull, completely rusted-very odd; Wooden decking over bow creating a small cuddy, same type of deck on stern; This thing was old-holes throughout it-through the steel. Gunwhales were wood. I dug around in the mud at the stern and found what I guess was a driveshaft-I don't know who would make a 17 foot rowboat out of steel anyway.

Never seen steel hulls in fresh water before-I would have guessed wood.

[Tallyho]

Very interesting! The only craft of that type constuction and size, with a driveshaft, might well have been a tug for pushing log rafts and such. Any indication of rudder or powerplant ?

[Diver1111]

No indication of either but as I said I did dig around in the silt at the stern and there was something there that had to have been drive-train related. She was sitting pretty good done in it.

Steel would make sense for a vessel that small if it was involved with moving logs.