Wood Interiors - Why?

[Find Wind Rose]

But I can Sympathize if you don't like the cheap ply wood or fake wood finishes!
But from my experience the Sail Boats my Father owned were wonderful interiors with beautiful wood carvings on the interior.
My Father Owned a Formosa 51' 1975 Garden Ketch, and later owned a Formosa 41' 1975 CT Garden Ketch, and both had wonderful carvings on the interior.

[bob kingsland]

Sparohok, Stillraining has it right... my boat's interior is my living room. You say you'd rather have wood in your living room than on your boat, so there you go.

You ask why choose a boat as a place to imbue with soul, after listing a number of requirements that a good boat has to have in order to do well. It seems to me that if a boat does do those things well, then she has the beginnings of a soul anyway, or of a sort of life of her own, and it's only the logical next step to try to bring a little life out in her in the expression of the interior. The natural beauty of good wood, judisciously used, helps to do that. One good reason for trying to imbue a boat with soul is because you're trusting the life of you and your family to her.

A Ferrari has soul, and so does a Mack truck, but of a different type... the Ferrari will snarl around the race course, and the Mack will soldier on for 200,000 miles without much complaint. But does, say, a Ford Taurus? Most would say not so much. It all depends on what you want to drive... different strokes, I guess. As Sarafina said, that's why they make 31 flavors.

Best, Bob S/V Restless

[Stevens 47]

But I can Sympathize if you don't like the cheap ply wood

Find Wind that is a interesting comment as the Formosa's decks are made of plywood as a core. Have you purchased teak veneered marine grade plywood, I assure you that there is nothing cheap about it.

[Find Wind Rose]

Originally Posted by Stevens 47

Find Wind that is a interesting comment as the Formosa's decks are made of plywood as a core. Have you purchased teak veneered marine grade plywood, I assure you that there is nothing cheap about it.

I was talking about interior woodwork, as in the Formosa has Teak interior.

I am aware of the manufacturing process of the decks of Formosas as in, my fathers boat had Fiberglass at the base, then Marine Ply wood, then foam, like Styrofoam, then more fiberglass, and then finally Teak on top. and I agree, there is nothing cheap about the product.
But i was not talking about the deck.
sorry for the confusion.

[Sparohok]

Originally Posted by bob kingsland

Sparohok, Stillraining has it right... my boat's interior is my living room. You say you'd rather have wood in your living room than on your boat, so there you go.

On the one hand I'll grant that you are coming at it from a different perspective, I am sadly not yet shopping for a boat to live aboard full time.

On the other hand that really doesn't have anything to do with the point I was making. The reason fine furniture belongs in my living room is because my living room has hundreds of square feet, doesn't heel, doesn't have a b/d ratio or a d/l ratio or a sa/d ratio, is highly unlikely to capsize or take on salt water, rarely has people walking through it in soaking wet foul weather gear, etc. If I am so fortunate as to make a boat my living room one day, I certainly plan to make different compromises than I do in my current home -- that only stands to reason.

Martin

[Sparohok]

OK so here's what I'm getting:

1) Maintenance -- I'm getting some saying it's more upkeep, some saying it's less. This is really the crux of the issue for me, and I appreciate the feedback, especially those saying it is easy to maintain. How often do you refinish the wood interior of your boat? How much work is it? What do you need to do to non-wood surfaces, and how often? Ultimately I care much more about a boat that is easier to maintain than one that looks better in the boat show.

2) Style, lots of people saying wood is more homey. But, do a google image search for "home interior" you'll see houses with wood trim and wood "soles" but rarely wood "bulkheads" or wood "cabin tops." So unless you grew up in a log cabin, I reject that this is actually "homey"... just "boaty." As for the chlorox bottle, walk into any new home or condo, chances are excellent you'll see white ceilings and white walls. People like this in their homes, not their boats. I'm not arguing for the utter absence of wood -- wood trim is beautiful in both homes and boats -- but I am wondering why it is so hard to find a boat that uses wood trim in the same bright, tasteful and reserved way that you'll see in your terrestrial home.

4) Weight -- I stand corrected on strength/weight -- although I think it's a bit beside the point. The boat's hull is already there, and a lot of the wood and liners that get added isn't there for structural or functional reasons. Also, while solid fiberglass arguably loses to wood on strength to weight ratio, cored fiberglass wins hands down.

Thanks for the discussion and feedback. I really do appreciate it.

Martin

[ParadiseDreams]

Originally Posted by Sparohok

2) Style, lots of people saying wood is more homey. But, do a google image search for "home interior" you'll see houses with wood trim and wood "soles" but rarely wood "bulkheads" or wood "cabin tops." So unless you grew up in a log cabin, I reject that this is actually "homey"... just "boaty." As for the chlorox bottle, walk into any new home or condo, chances are excellent you'll see white ceilings and white walls. People like this in their homes, not their boats. I'm not arguing for the utter absence of wood -- wood trim is beautiful in both homes and boats -- but I am wondering why it is so hard to find a boat that uses wood trim in the same bright, tasteful and reserved way that you'll see in your terrestrial home.

Not an expert on boat interiors, but I have seen many homes in my life . Though the walls may not be made of wood, there is a lot of wood in the homes. As I lay here in bed and write this post, I look around my bedroom and I see oak floors, wood doors, wood trim and wood furniture.

I love modern/contemporary style, so I kind of understand your distaste with the traditional looking wood, but from what I've seen in my searches online, there are some very nice looking wooden interiors which don't overuse wood and look very modern.

Take a look at this:



Check out the interiors of the Bavaria yachts...

Originally Posted by Sparohok

4) Weight -- I stand corrected on strength/weight -- although I think it's a bit beside the point. The boat's hull is already there, and a lot of the wood and liners that get added isn't there for structural or functional reasons. Also, while solid fiberglass arguably loses to wood on strength to weight ratio, cored fiberglass wins hands down.

I think you might have a point about the weight, but the point is slightly moot. Though fiberglass may weight more per unit of volume it's also very strong and has a high strength to weight ratio. Again though, the point is moot.

JMHO

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Sparohok

OK so here's what I'm getting:

1) Maintenance -- I'm getting some saying it's more upkeep, some saying it's less. This is really the crux of the issue for me, and I appreciate the feedback, especially those saying it is easy to maintain. How often do you refinish the wood interior of your boat? How much work is it? ...

On the exterior, wood is a lot of work. On the interior, not so much.

2) ... As for the chlorox bottle, walk into any new home or condo, chances are excellent you'll see white ceilings and white walls. People like this in their homes, not their boats. I'm not arguing for the utter absence of wood -- wood trim is beautiful in both homes and boats -- but I am wondering why it is so hard to find a boat that uses wood trim in the same bright, tasteful and reserved way that you'll see in your terrestrial home.

I like light colored interiors, too and will be using white and blonds woods (industrial cork & bamboo actually). But my interior is wood. But through the modern miracle of paint the transformation will be made. I suspect I'll keep a bit of the dark stuff as the framing is Honduran mahogany. As for upkeep, it really depends on the interior. A lot of heavy wood interiors are heavy because the oils have fully oxidized, not to mention attracted dirt and salt. So a scrubing, possible bleaching and either re-oiling or varnishing is in order. Others or sealed in epoxy which will eventually turn yellow but tends to be golden in color anyway.

4) Weight -- I stand corrected on strength/weight -- although I think it's a bit beside the point.

Yes, but it was a point you brought up in the first place.

[Sparohok]

Originally Posted by Maren

Yes, but it was a point you brought up in the first place.

I'm not sure if this is worth belaboring, but I guess I didn't come across clearly at all.

The strength to weight ratio of fiberglass compared with wood is beside the point for a few reasons:

1) Cored fiberglass (duflex, airex) DOES have far better strength to weight ratio than wood for panelled construction, bulkheads, etc. Granted, also costs more.
2) Molded fiberglass interiors are lighter than the equivalent in wood, not because the strength to weight is necessarily better but just because it is easier to build light and optimize form and the use of materials.
3) In many cases you are adding wood over structural fiberglass which is adding weight for no reason other than cosmetic.

So, I'm not saying weight doesn't matter, just that the structural qualities of sold fiberglass versus solid wood may be beside the point of how much weight your interior adds to the boat.

Martin

[Efraim]

I don't know how people live with such hideous wooden interiors.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Sparohok

I don't want to limit my choices to Hanse or Aerodyne or J/Boats just because of what feels suspicously like a prejudice of mine.
Martin

First time I went below on a Hanse I found myself wondering, "Why would anyone ever buy a boat with an interior like this?"

[jdoe71]

Originally Posted by Bash

First time I went below on a Hanse I found myself wondering, "Why would anyone ever buy a boat with an interior like this?"

+1 on that. My wife and I thought "IKEA on water" when we looked at a Hanse. Or like the bland and sterile hospital white kitchen and bathroom cabinetry (GAG!) that's just the rage at the moment among our urban friends.

Give us wood and plenty of it. Wood has character and is just plain beautiful to behold. No one does a better job at art than nature.

[Pblais]

How often do you refinish the wood interior of your boat?

Mine was built in 1991. I wouldn't think about it now. Boats from 1985 still look as good. It's all solid mahogany. It's a matter of quality as much as being wood. I know it's dark but our plan is open and has lots of light. I know Formica interiors in boats a bit older and they look like less than they used to be. Formica after 20 years isn't so nice to look at. Plastic always look worse for wear.

[SouthernComfort]

Is it me or do I smell bleach?



Mine isn't too heavy on the wood. I will customize to add more in the future though.

[Efraim]

Wood! Forget it...I'll take Ikea any day.
I'm starting to wonder if the original post was a joke.