Would I regret buying a Wood hull?

[charliehows]

had a wooden boat for a few years, a plywood trimaran, think i was pretty lucky i fluked buying one that was made with good material because i never found any rot in it, just antifouled and painted it occasionally. Boat i have now is fibreglass hull with timber topsides and rot issues come up now and then, i'm very glad i only have to worry about the stuff above the waterline. Old wooden boats are like racehorses, they're nice toys for rich guys.

[SkiprJohn]

Each material a boat is made of has flaws. Wood needs constant care and someone aboard who knows how to maintain wood.

I had a beautiful wood Mariner 35 ketch and when I got Navy orders changing coasts to a ship that was underway more than in port I knew I needed to sell it otherwise I wouldn't be able to maintain it properly. Broke my heart but I didn't let it go to ruin from neglect.

The absolute worst thing you can do with a wood hull is haul it and leave it in a yard where there is a lot of rain. Dry rot happens quickly in those environments.

For a liveaboard in northern climates or southern way downunder climates in saltwater wood is a good hull material.

Plastic is a lot more forgiving.

kind regards,

[Cheechako]

Would I regret buying a Wood hull?
Yes

[David M]

Are you convinced yet?

[Max Sail]

Reasonably convinced :-p

[RedHerring]

Phew... another catastrophe averted.

[monstads]

Late to the conversation, and have no experience with wood boats...

That said, in my experience, statements such as "Collectors item !! " and "Cheap" in the same context screams of a seller looking to offload a problem onto a naive buyer.. YMMV, and Buyer Beware..

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by monstads

Late to the conversation, and have no experience with wood boats...

That said, in my experience, statements such as "Collectors item !! " and "Cheap" in the same context screams of a seller looking to offload a problem onto a naive buyer.. YMMV, and Buyer Beware..

And, boats are so emotional. We tend to think our boat is more wonderful than it really is, and some how find its weaknesses ... charming, not a liability. It's like asking the mother about her two-headed baby: she'll just think it's doubly beautiful.

[Celestialsailor]

Would I regret buying a wood hull?...Depends. If I had only 10 grand and wanted a larger boat and was younger and had time on my hands...yes, I would go that way. I sailed on a 1926 60ft.+ Alden Yawl. I was hooked on it's excellence. The owner was a tree trimmer and remover. He had little funds and bought her for $25,000 from a divorce sale on the docks where I lived aboard back in the 90's. He took her down to Mexico and as far as I know, he is still there with the boat.
Here is one I could not turn down if I had the money, if for nothing else but it's heritage. 1947 Alden 356-B CENTERBOARD SCHOONER Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[Group9]

Originally Posted by RedHerring

Heard, huh? I owned a wooden boat for seven years, and I wish someone would have told me then to buy a simple plastic 27-footer instead. Fiberglass doesn't have dry rot.

"Looks like you got a little dry rot there, Boss. Don't worry, every boat's got some. At least yours is above the waterline. At least most of it."

[Wand]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

...There's a reason wood boats lost out to plastic.

Yes there is, and it is because plastic is cheaper. Laying up hulls and decks in molds, popping them out and gluing them together takes just a fraction of the time it takes to build a wooden boat. Plus only semi-skilled labour is required, which is another cost advantage.

I've nothing against plastic boats; they are great for racing dinghies. And for those for whom boating is just about a weekend sail, I'm sure they'd be perfect. But don't try to make out that popularity = higher quality, that there being lots of plastic boats means plastic is a better boatbuilding material. Because it just ain't so.

[Celestialsailor]

Good grief...

[hellosailor]

Wand, you're forgetting the maintenance issues. Plastic doesn't get eaten by worms. Doesn't routinely need to be recaulked or replanked. Doesn't rot out and fail because someone let it get and stay damp. Doesn't need the varnish and paint crew every month.

I love wood, but unless you've got resources to keep up with the routine maintenance, the initial purchase cost is the least of it.

[foolishsailor]

As a previous owner of a wood cruising boat....

If it is sound when you buy it, you plan to live and sail full time on it, you're handy with varnish, paint and sand paper, the price is right (cheap) - then i would say go for it.

I had a 70+ year old gaff rigged ketch for 6 years. There is something magical about wood....

...but back to basics which for cruisers is the sail/labor ratio. If as i said above you have a sound boat and are living on it wood actually can be lower maintenance in terms of cost than other materials.

But....

1. Anything that has varnish and lives under the sun must be painted
2. You must forget anything you learn on woodenboat.com - that is for retirees
3. Unlearn the word epoxy
4. If you dont already know the above and are effctively a carpenter maybe plastic is for you...

Im a, or was about 5 years ago - a professional wooden boat restorer and carpenter and my current boat is aluminium, if that tells you anything.

[Lancerbye]

I love wooden boats. Had one for 10 years. Refastened it, recaulked it and rebuilt the cabin. It was a 34 foot Finnish built double ender. Back then you could cheaply use a tide grid for yearly bottom cote. That is no longer allowed. Having gotten much older and wiser I now have a fiberglass boat that gets hauled by a travelift every 4 to 5 years for bottom maintenance. Still do all my maintenance myself. I still love wooden boats and have seen a 60 ft. ketch that I would consider since the boat is built out of something like ironwood (coming from south east Asia). There comes a time in ones life when wisdom should prevail, but not always. You really have to love working on boats to own and maintain a wooden boat. Being rich like Midas would also help.