 The first iron tug was the "Emma" of 1862, and several new construction orders followed for several iron-hulled vessels for local operators.In 1864 the company moved away from the traditional tug building business and built the first coastal collier, the "Isca" a sloop-rigged steamer of 65 t.

Having built in iron for some years, an experimental composite-hulled design was built in 1865, the "Cardiff Castle", a paddle steamer tug of 62 t, later converted to a yacht in 1880 with an unusual dandy rig and wrecked on Cardiff Grounds on 15 April 1897.The same year the "Kate" was completed, and these were the first paddle vessels built at the Acraman's Yard by John Payne.