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Old 08-04-2019, 08:29   #1
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Wood vs Fiberglass

I am curious is there any significant downside to a trawler used for trans-oceaniac voyages constructed of wood vs fiberglass (such as a Grand Banks) for two similar vessels in comparable condition re: rot etc.

Also, what is the forum's general impression of wooden vessels vs fiberglass (not counting "romantic" issues). Good idea, so-so idea, bad idea etc., and why.
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Old 08-04-2019, 08:45   #2
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

Some people like wooden boats, but certainly there is more that can go wrong (same with wood-cored hulls in fiberglass boats vs. just solid fiberglass hulls) and more maintenance.

Maintenance for my fiberglass hull consists of checking thru-hulls every so often and giving it a coat or so of bottom paint once a year.

If I mess up here I'll have marine growth, and in the case of a thru-hull if I don't notice a problem and if something leaks well it will not be a major fix at all certainly, and probably won't sink the boat at least right away...

Wood hull? Well, I've lived in a wood-sided house, and maintenance there consisted of replacing siding every few years. Not the same pieces, but small pieces as rot was discovered. Often a problem isn't noticeable until you need to replace. I wouldn't like that on my boat.
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Old 08-04-2019, 08:48   #3
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

The only advantage a wooden boat has over fiberglass is the price to buy a used one.
Maintenance costs are higher on wooden boats and you are far more likely to have unwanted water enter the boat.

That is the opinion of a guy who builds small wooden boats as a hobby.
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Old 08-04-2019, 09:34   #4
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

I'm 70+ and had boats of all kinds my whole life. I worked in yards, owned a yard and built big boats in wood, steel and fiberglass. I'm a union shipwright, certified welder, etc.
Wood is much more maintenance. Fiberglass can be ignored for a few years without serious problems. Wood demands some maintenance every year. The worst is water from the top down - deck and cabin top leaks. Let them go and you'll have rot.

On the other hand, you get more boat for the money with wood. I live on a heavy built, 83' wood boat built in 1942. The decks are fiberglassed. With a good paint system, I go about 3 years w/o much maintenance. But there is yearly inspection and some touch up. My bottom is copper plated, so no leaks or worry about worms. But if I have to replace a plank it will be a major job. On the average, I spend about $3000 a year in maintenance w/o labor. Because of the copper bottom, no tropical waters, and good bottom paint, I haul about every 3-4 years.

There are ways to preserve wood, today mostly salt. Before the EPA there were wood preservatives that would keep wood indefinitely. Keep salt in the bilge. Old boats were built with salt boxes along the hull sides, just under the deck. Condensation or leaks went thru the box and down the insides carrying salt, preserving the ribs and planks. Wood was presoaked in heavy salt brine before assembly or steaming. There are wood halibut schooners over a hundred years old still fishing the Gulf of Alaska.
If yo do buy a wood boat and want some advice, pm me.
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Old 08-04-2019, 11:12   #5
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

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I'm 70+ and had boats of all kinds my whole life. I worked in yards, owned a yard and built big boats in wood, steel and fiberglass. I'm a union shipwright, certified welder, etc.
Wood is much more maintenance. Fiberglass can be ignored for a few years without serious problems. Wood demands some maintenance every year. The worst is water from the top down - deck and cabin top leaks. Let them go and you'll have rot.

On the other hand, you get more boat for the money with wood. I live on a heavy built, 83' wood boat built in 1942. The decks are fiberglassed. With a good paint system, I go about 3 years w/o much maintenance. But there is yearly inspection and some touch up. My bottom is copper plated, so no leaks or worry about worms. But if I have to replace a plank it will be a major job. On the average, I spend about $3000 a year in maintenance w/o labor. Because of the copper bottom, no tropical waters, and good bottom paint, I haul about every 3-4 years.

There are ways to preserve wood, today mostly salt. Before the EPA there were wood preservatives that would keep wood indefinitely. Keep salt in the bilge. Old boats were built with salt boxes along the hull sides, just under the deck. Condensation or leaks went thru the box and down the insides carrying salt, preserving the ribs and planks. Wood was presoaked in heavy salt brine before assembly or steaming. There are wood halibut schooners over a hundred years old still fishing the Gulf of Alaska.
If yo do buy a wood boat and want some advice, pm me.
I am not overly concerned with maintenance during the period I own it because I am planning a 2-year cruise with quick (hopefully) sale thereafter.

My question is more to do with structural integrity and ability to handle heavy seas without disintegration. In other words, are wooden trawlers, in good condition, as structurally-seaworth as a similar boat in fiberglass?
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Old 08-04-2019, 11:35   #6
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

It's analogous to buying a car with 100 miles on it versus 200,000 miles. The 200,000 mile car is going to be much cheaper but the maintenace expenses are going to be more frequent and more expensive.

Only you can decide if reliability or cost is going to be more important.

For something that keeps you alive and your loved ones alive, I would pick reliable.
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Old 08-04-2019, 12:08   #7
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

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It's analogous to buying a car with 100 miles on it versus 200,000 miles. The 200,000 mile car is going to be much cheaper but the maintenace expenses are going to be more frequent and more expensive.

Only you can decide if reliability or cost is going to be more important.

For something that keeps you alive and your loved ones alive, I would pick reliable.

My question is if you have two comparable boats with comparable degrees of maintenance or lack of rot etc., and not regarding future maintenance, is a boat of wood constructions on a par, better or worse, than a fiberglass boat as far as structural integrity and ability to handle rough weather without disintegration. For example, two Grand Banks, one wood, one fiberglass.
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Old 08-04-2019, 12:11   #8
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

As to structure, a wooden boat is made with hundreds of joints that are subject to failure. That’s not to say you can’t cross oceans in a wooden boat but of the several people I know who have crossed oceans in small boats, only one was in a wooden boat. He didn’t make it and spent a couple of months drifting around the Pacific in a raft. He thinks he was rammed by a whale.
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Old 08-04-2019, 12:39   #9
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

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As to structure, a wooden boat is made with hundreds of joints that are subject to failure. That’s not to say you can’t cross oceans in a wooden boat but of the several people I know who have crossed oceans in small boats, only one was in a wooden boat. He didn’t make it and spent a couple of months drifting around the Pacific in a raft. He thinks he was rammed by a whale.
I've been thinking along the same lines, but want confirmation that my thinking is correct.

Any other opinions/input are still welcome. however.
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Old 08-04-2019, 13:03   #10
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

I had a deep keel wood sailboat 1975-1985. There is no romanticism in spending 95% of your time working on maintenance versus sailing.
The problem as I see it, is that you have no way of knowing if two boats are similar in condition, if one of them is planked wood. There are hundreds if not thousands of failure points. Even the best of surveys won't find even a small fraction of possible problems.
My current boat, a Hans Christian, is as close to a "wooden" boat as you can get in fiberglass, but I have far, far more confidence in the essentially monolithic structural construction as compared to a stick built wood boat. I love the esthetics of generous wood trim and traditional design, but I am not risking my life ( and my crew's) on a suspect hull.
And every wood hull is suspect.
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Old 08-04-2019, 14:56   #11
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

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I had a deep keel wood sailboat 1975-1985. There is no romanticism in spending 95% of your time working on maintenance versus sailing.
The problem as I see it, is that you have no way of knowing if two boats are similar in condition, if one of them is planked wood. There are hundreds if not thousands of failure points. Even the best of surveys won't find even a small fraction of possible problems.
My current boat, a Hans Christian, is as close to a "wooden" boat as you can get in fiberglass, but I have far, far more confidence in the essentially monolithic structural construction as compared to a stick built wood boat. I love the esthetics of generous wood trim and traditional design, but I am not risking my life ( and my crew's) on a suspect hull.
And every wood hull is suspect.
OK, thanks. Any other feedback/input?
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Old 08-04-2019, 15:24   #12
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

You said something about a quick sale. The market for wooden boats is not at all strong, especially ones that have been used hard for two years with minimal maintenance.
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Old 08-04-2019, 15:26   #13
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

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You said something about a quick sale. The market for wooden boats is not at all strong, especially ones that have been used hard for two years with minimal maintenance.
Thanks. I think my initial feelings are correct, avoid wooden boats and go for a solid fiberglass boat such as the Hatteras LRC or similar.
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Old 08-04-2019, 15:55   #14
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

Down here in Tasmania there are heaps of carvel planked timber cray boats in daily use, going out into the Southern Ocean in all sorts of weather. Some are more than 50 years old.

There are very very few fibreglass cray boats, but a few steel ones.

I wonder why?

But the reselling issue is quite real, and for that reason alone, glass is likely a better choice for you.

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Old 09-04-2019, 21:11   #15
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Re: Wood vs Fiberglass

Enjoy, think after you watch this, you'll have second thoughts about wood. I fell in love with a Grand Banks 32 woodie and after watching this video, I regretfully walked away.

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