Wooden Boats in The Caribbean ?

[lostviking]

I like the classic boats, like the grand banks style.
A lot of them is wooden hulls.

I hear a lot of Toledo "worm" and the boat rotting slowly in warmer climate.

Some of the old classics from the 60`s and upwards are so beautiful, but would I slowly kill one by having it in the Caribbean as a live aboard?

I mean, what did the conquistadors and pirates do a few hundred years back?

If it is so, what measures could I do if i wanted one?
I currently live in Norway and we got hefty winters and cold summers here. I have spent some time om my dads wooden boat and there is no problem with that here. This is a new problem for me.

I have heard that a good coating would prevent the "worms", but again, some say it don`t over time and that wooden boats are a constant struggle to keep afloat.

What do you think?

[boatman61]

In the Caribbean you've the Toredo...
and in the North you have the Gribble...
There are steps one can take...
copper plate the hull..
epoxy the hull..
anti foul regularly...
The main enemy is the sun.. chuck buckets of sea water over her every evening.. and again before the suns to far up...
The 'Old Ships' usually had loadsa crew to maintain them..
the locals just made dugouts...

[MV-Romnya]

I think the name for that worm is "Toredo" - here in SE Australia the shallow muddy waters are infested with Toredo Worms - my beautiful wooden boat is anchored in that infestation and have just replaced the scraficial keel (Slipper) it was riddled with worms - the main keel is untouched (I hope) - if you have not already got copper around your main keel I suggest investing in that product and line it with a scraficial wooden keel - make sure it is softer than the main keel - slip every year and cut out the infected wood - MVR