Tough Decision.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by ohdrinkboy

Third, you will likely have to redo the AC electrical systems. Europe has different voltages.

Yeah, I'm thinking about that too

[maytrix]

perfect except for the fact its wood means its not perfect. If you were looking for a wood boat, then it would be perfect, so since you weren't, walk away.

We bought a 2nd house 2 years ago. It was perfect, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, just enough living space for a winter get away. Easy to maintain with a small yard, nice deck and right along a river. And the price was what we could afford. It really couldn't have been more perfect. It was in a flood plain, but we knew that and the house had been their sine the late 60's and was on cement pilings about 2' off the ground with the river level about 4' below ground level. So it wasn't a huge concern, figured maybe we'd have to replace the first floor carpet some day if the water came up.

Well.. 3 months later, Irene came and move the house off the foundation. So this house we thought was so perfect, did have an except - except it was in a flood plain.

Better to walk away than realize later that the whole wood exception is a bigger issue that you thought it would be.

[GalaxyGirl]

I appreciate all of your opinions. Was hoping that I would be talked out of it, but not completely there... yet. I asked the broker to ask the owner if he would be willing to bring the boat to me here in the States, and I am waiting to hear back. If he agrees, which he may not, then I will just have to make a decision about wood. If he doesn't agree to bring it then I am going to let it go.

The boat is being represented as having had a lot of work done and in excellent condition.

But...I do hear what you guys are saying about maintenance and I know that I probably don't want to take that on. The other boat is fiberglass. If next week is a good week for me then I will hopefully get to Florida to see it and make a decision. I will probably try and get on a few other boats while I'm there, although not sure which ones. Don't really like anything else.

[Free as a Bird]

I love my wooden boat. History, character, craftsmanship, style........ Yep, it does require some extra maintenance. It all started with wood! Horses for courses though. Respect the sentiments above.

[Mimsy]

I don't think buying a woodie is a bad idea at all, so long as this isn't your first boat. If it is your first, you really can not understand the level of work just a fiberglass boat requires, let alone wood. I love wood boats, adore them, just think its a monumentally bad idea for a first time buyer to own one.

If it were me, I would figure that I had moved on to another boat for a reason. Thank the broker, then move on and keep looking.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

I had narrowed to one boat.

But, then this morning much to my surprise the broker of another boat that I low-balled last week responded saying that the owner is seriously considering now. He refused when I first made the offer. Now I am taken for a loop as I never expected they would change their mind. The only problem is the low- ball boat is not in the US. I am trying to decide now if it is it worth the effort to bring her here. Really amazing boat, in my opinion. Only drawback is wood. But I might be able to live with it as this boat is really nice and has everything on my wish list. Tough decision.

That's a HUGE "but." I don't recall; are you the lady who was looking for a boat to live on with four children? The more wood, the more maintenance, and if you mean a wood *hull,* disaster if it's not meticulously maintained.

[Capt Phil]

What is all this downer stuff on wooden hulled boats? Our Defever 54 was 2-3" Philiipine mahogany hull on 12" oak frames made in the Ka Shing yard in Japan, hull #4. Cruised her from Seattle through Desolation Sound for 6 months before bringing her down to San Diego where we lived aboard and cruised for 6 years. Much quieter than plastic boats and living aboard keeping the brightwork up kept me out of the pub. Worked commercially on wooden boats almost exclusively for nearly 3 decades in the PNW and they only sank if you hit a rock!
You must know what your buying, however, and go over her with a fine tooth comb with a professional surveyor who surveys wooden boats. Not many wooden boat surveyors around anymore, unfortunately.
We pulled her every other year and were meticulous about checking for rot and fastener issues. We spent much less on her than we would have for other material except perhaps for ferro.
Sold her for 25 % more than we paid for her and lived rent free for 6 years except for slip fees.
If you are prepared to maintain a wooden boat and not let anything get ahead of you, they make sense to me. Not certain what the construction is across the pond so can't comment on the type of wood used or ribs, etc but know that there are some really beefy construction out of Scandinavia. The name escapes me at the moment but there was a 70 footer for sale in the PNW a month or two ago. Phil

[bobconnie]

GG, I still think you would find a vessel to meet or excede your needs in the greater Seattle area! Theres quite a few LRC vessels up there that any power boat owner would love to own ! Just a thought

[Whaubner]

Wood sounds like the only scary part of the decision.

You can call a shipping agent to get a quote to bring it to the US. You don't need dockwise, it can likely be shipped as deck cargo on a regular cargo ship. routine schedule to newport, Annapolis, New York and other east coast cities. This will at least give you total cost estimate, note you may need to get the boat to a major shipping port in Europe.

There is no need to redo the electrical, most things you have like lap top and cell phone chargers will work fine. We have a UK boat with UK electrical in the US. It is zero inconvenience.

[Weyalan]

For what it is worth, with reference to the wiring issues with European boats: It is my understanding that a European boat with 240v wiring will be ok for 110 volt, but a USA boat with 110v wiring is no good for 240v (I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable will correct me if I'm wrong).

[polyurea]

Shoot, 5 kids, this lady is use to dealing with situations
Wood boat - how long do you plan on owning her? Are ya buying her to sell her or buying her to love her?

That said, I would not buy her either, cause she is wood and a long way off and all the other things that have been said.

But then, wood does not ice up like metal boats do.
did this help, LOL.
O, by the way, Polyurea could remove a lot of that hull maintenance.

[TeddyDiver]

Most people don't have a clue how to maintain wooden boat, but if you know how it's not that complicated. All boats must have some maintenance on the hard few years apart anyways...

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

For what it is worth, with reference to the wiring issues with European boats: It is my understanding that a European boat with 240v wiring will be ok for 110 volt, but a USA boat with 110v wiring is no good for 240v (I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable will correct me if I'm wrong).

There are some issues making changes in both directions, but generally its the other way around.
The wiring for 110v needs to carry a higher current than 240v so converting 240 to 110 is more difficult.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

There are some issues making changes in both directions, but generally its the other way around.
The wiring for 110v needs to carry a higher current than 240v so converting 240 to 110 is more difficult.

Typically you would expect the 110v circuit wires to have twice the cross section. Could even be a fire risk.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

What is all this downer stuff on wooden hulled boats? Our Defever 54 was 2-3" Philiipine mahogany hull on 12" oak frames made in the Ka Shing yard in Japan, hull #4. Cruised her from Seattle through Desolation Sound for 6 months before bringing her down to San Diego where we lived aboard and cruised for 6 years. Much quieter than plastic boats and living aboard keeping the brightwork up kept me out of the pub. Worked commercially on wooden boats almost exclusively for nearly 3 decades in the PNW and they only sank if you hit a rock!
You must know what your buying, however, and go over her with a fine tooth comb with a professional surveyor who surveys wooden boats. Not many wooden boat surveyors around anymore, unfortunately.
We pulled her every other year and were meticulous about checking for rot and fastener issues. We spent much less on her than we would have for other material except perhaps for ferro.
Sold her for 25 % more than we paid for her and lived rent free for 6 years except for slip fees.
If you are prepared to maintain a wooden boat and not let anything get ahead of you, they make sense to me. Not certain what the construction is across the pond so can't comment on the type of wood used or ribs, etc but know that there are some really beefy construction out of Scandinavia. The name escapes me at the moment but there was a 70 footer for sale in the PNW a month or two ago. Phil

You answered the question yourself.

Many of us already have more than enough to do to "keep us out of the pub" with the extra work of meticulously (your word as well as mine) maintaining a wooden boat.

You didn't see any sink ... but those boats were carefully maintained. I HAVE seen a wooden boat sink when the owner couldn't keep up with it. Not once but twice. Not let anything get ahead of you? That means the entire structure and maintenance of your boat has to be more important than anything else AND for very serious reasons.

You pointed out that it's going to be a challenge to check out the boat thoroughly enough and that it's in Europe. We don't know anything about how the boat was constructed. Are ALL Scandanavian boats constructed very well? Maybe. Are they ALL meticulously maintained throughout their lifetimes? Probably not.

No one said all wooden boats are bad, but this person has a LOT of concerns if she's paying attention, even to your post, which apparently you intended to be positive.

For me, if I break a leg and can't keep up with everything, I don't want it to be a crisis.