Wood is good

Good point. I wonder if it has been tried. My wife has been asking that one for years. She was born and raised in the redwoods, so I guess that brings it to mind.
I would also add that she has been as hands on as I have on restoring our wood boats, from laminating frames, to bucking rivets. I think if we could find a 30' wood boat with a king size bed, a head with a bath, and a commercial sized galley, she would never complain again.

[Alan Wheeler]

When you guy's are talking Redwood, is that those big giant trees that they build roads through?? If one of those, why would you want to cut it up into timber just to join it back together in the shape of a boat. Would it be much more expediant to just hollow the trunk into a boat Then you wouldn't have to worry about rivets or glue or anything bar paint and fitout.

Dugouts! Now that's going back! After about 12 years living under them, I have no reluctance in cutting the suckers up for kindling, but hey, I am environmentally aware, so lets build something more useful than a deck
So, I know the Pardeys are not the only ones cruising wood boats. Anyone else doing it? What about repairs? are there still craftsmen in foreign ports waiting to replace planks or sister frames? Can you pull into a South American anchorage and cut down a tree to replace a plank? Or are wood boats just becoming show pieces to be displayed in annual races? Carvel planked, strip planked? Why?
Is it possible to leave a boat for a couple of months and fly home to make some money, yet still have something to come back to?
Does anyone else get that unique sense of pride when entering an anchorage in a classic old wood vessel? Knowing tht your boat stands out? How about interacting with the locals? Do local fishermen on their wood boats interact any differntly with you on your wood boat, than if you were on fiberglass?
Were there limitations in your travels do to an inability to insure the boat?

[Jeff H]

Old growth, comb grain redwood was a very popular material for decking and planking. These days we don't see that quality redwood on the market. Redwood is still used in cold molded wood construction but western red cedar is the preferred material for cold molded construction in terms of strength to weight and rot resistance.

Jeff

[BC Mike]

I think it would be advisable for some folks to take a trip to Auckland NZ.
There are wood boats there from a variety of types. There are some long ( 70 feet ) narrow units that have been sailed and raced for over 50 years. Try and beat one on the race track.
Penny Whiting has for years run a sailing school using her plywood boat of about 50 feet. When I say for years I mean at least 30.
Newer units are multi layered ( cold moulded ) with a fibreglass cover. These boats can be left for years. They are less likely to attract mould than a plastic boat.
These recurring fears that are posted is starting to sound like a lack of knowledge as to what is available in the real world. By that I mean what you have seen in the US, is not all that there is to see.
In the land of OZZ they have wood that is so hard you can not drive a nail in to it with out drilling a hole first.
To quote a Yankee in Auckland who had recently purchased a 36 foot boat. " You just can't get this kind of workmanship and wood in the US " He said that about 1982.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

If you want to take a look at some of the timber vessels that are beign built here in NZ, take a look at just one of the Local builders to me. Click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to Suwanne River. www.mcbridedesign.co.nz
Jimmy carey the builder, has built some of the most stunning vessels we see here in NZ and they are all totally timber. He is presently working on an 86ft 70ton vessel being built from 2" cypress overlaid with three layers of tiraxial cloth. She has twin 320Hp Yanmars giving a cruise speed of 10knts.
Fijian Kauri is still used here, it grows fast in Fiji, but is not as nice a timber as the NZ Kauri. However, it is illegal to mill NZ Kauri now.