Wooden boats

[Jammer]

There is a 42' ketch for sale locally, about 30 years old, made of wood by its present owner, who is no longer able to sail for medical reasons. I do not know the full history of the boat but it was fitted for serious cruising and updated and refitted over the years.


Assuming that a survey would show the boat to be in good condition at present, what differences in maintenance and operational procedures and costs would a buyer expect, over the mid- to long- term, compared to a plastic boat?

[Jim Cate]

You need to know far more about the boat than just that it is 'made from wood".

Type of constrution (carvel, caulked or splined, planking timber, rib spacing and timber, type of fasteners etc), or modern construction (cold molded or strip planked with epoxy and glass overlay) and so on.

Our strip planked boat is 28 years old, has done >100,000 miles and is in the prime of her life and requires no more maintenance than a plastic boat and less than a steel one.
Carvel planked boats of similar age can range from great to firewood status.

Jim

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Jammer

There is a 42' ketch for sale locally, about 30 years old, made of wood by its present owner, who is no longer able to sail for medical reasons. I do not know the full history of the boat but it was fitted for serious cruising and updated and refitted over the years.


Assuming that a survey would show the boat to be in good condition at present, what differences in maintenance and operational procedures and costs would a buyer expect, over the mid- to long- term, compared to a plastic boat?

I'd say you'd need to know all the secrets of how to maintain a wooden boat.

I had a teammate in Little League Baseball whose Dad made his living as a charter boat Captain taking folks fishing on his own boat. It was a wooden boat

They would go out 50 miles or so to catch Marlin for clients or whatever fish they wanted inshore

30 years later I spoke with my Little League Teammate and he was doing the same thing on the same boat

I have owned at least 4 wooden boats but luckily only kept them a short time since I didn't have the same background as my friend.

Btw, he batted first and me second because we were both short back then and could hit. Or get a walk if forced to by the coaches

[JPA Cate]

Timber boats can be a wonderful experience, Jammer, depending on their construction and your skill sets. It is a whole separate niche in the cruising fleet. Most modern constructions are one-offs, and only built by shipwrights or boatwrights for their own use or on contract for an owner. Finish below decks varies considerably. Check out wooden boat festivals the world around, some wonderful eye candy there, and some lovely, well maintained, active boats.

Ann

[Jammer]

Thanks for the replies. This craft is carvel planked of Douglas fir over 2x3 oak frames, and was coated with epoxy during construction however I do not believe there was a fiberglass overlay. Fasteners are bronze.


I am comfortable working with wood and epoxy at a much smaller scale (canoes, furniture) but am unsure how those skills would translate at size.