Should i buy a wood hull

[CharlieCobra]

I2f, I concur. I never owned one before Oh Joy and am enjoying learning on the fly. Hell, that's the way I learned most everything worthwhile I know anyways.

[Cheechako]

NO, No, No

[wolfenzee]

I am very happy with my wooden boat and wouldn't choose anything else. But if you know enough about wooden boats to know that you don't know anything about wooden boats, you should look into something else, there are some nice glass and steel boats out there. That said I don't know that much about wooden boats, but have surrounded myself with people who do.

the difference between ignorance and stupidity:
ignorance we can fix, stupidity is permanent.

[onanonsuch]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

a poorly kept fiberglass hull will out last a poorly kept wood hull
but a well kept wood hull will outlast a wll kept fiberglass hull
I live in a well built, well kept wood hull.

just curious...how do you know?

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by onanonsuch

just curious...how do you know?

I know all of the previous owners and the history of the boat from drawing board to present, the builder is no longer alive, but I have photos of the building and the second owner saw the boat being built. Also the architect, William Atkins, designed a good boat. My boat was built by an experienced boat builder, this was his last boat which he launched at age 70. My boat was also somewhat over built, what was originally white cedar carvel planking on fir frames became 7/8" tengile mahagony stripplank glued and top nailed with 3" nails, screwed onto 2X3" sawn fir frames, 1/4" cieling and finished with 2 layers of glass on the outside (which has been maintained over the years), upgrade on the rig, ballast and power plant. Both of the last two owners were experienced in wooden boat construction and I have complete maintence logs for the past 35 years as well as an over all histort of the boat. I was just as lucky to get this information as i was to find the boat.

[onanonsuch]

i wasn't asking about the way your boat was built.
i was asking about the statement you made: "but a well kept wood hull will outlast a well kept fiberglass hull."
just curious as to how you would know.

[cptnandy]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee
a poorly kept fiberglass hull will out last a poorly kept wood hull
but a well kept wood hull will outlast a wll kept fiberglass hull
I live in a well built, well kept wood hull.

Actually fiberglass hasn't been around long enough to know, lets give it another 100 years and then see if you still say that.
Dont get me wrong I love wooden boats, just cant afford one.

[Pblais]

If you feel like you are in over your head. Then why are you looking at this boat?...

I2F has the key. If you are getting into territory you have no clue about then why jump off a cliff? Too many boats out there are not worth 1$ given a different boats you could buy that would in the end cost less. It seems all too strange to say it could be fixed up and be great, but they all don't cost less than walking away and paying more up front. Boats don't really work like houses even if they cost the same. If you are not well experienced in boats then how do you figure you know a good one without a great deal of help?

Never fall in love without a surveyor's report. It's too bad it doesn't work with spouses because it does work with boats. Just ask any insurance agent.

[Amgine]

Originally Posted by onanonsuch

i wasn't asking about the way your boat was built.
i was asking about the statement you made: "but a well kept wood hull will outlast a well kept fiberglass hull."
just curious as to how you would know.

USS Constitution.

There probably are two or three pieces of wood aboard which might be original. With a traditionally-constructed wooden craft you can keep replacing it, one piece (or a dozen pieces) at a time. While in theory you could do the same with a fibreglass craft, it's pretty unlikely you could keep the shape and integrity in doing so. Polyester resin is only listed as "good" lifespan, chemically stable but progressively less so structurally; you might get 50 years in good shape, perhaps 100 with exceptional care.

I can introduce you to owners of wooden boats well into their second century. Some of them are still working in trade.

[Zach]

I'd like to reiterate/second what Amgine just said... scream it from the roof tops.

A wooden boat that was intended to be wooden... with a layer of plywood and fiberglass around the outside, is something quite difficult to repair. Soft plank? Need to fasten in new floors? Scarf in some new rub rail...

Some things just can't be done with the fiberglass and plywood in place. Others (like refastening from the outside...) require loads of glass work to keep the fiberglass intact too.

Just plywood and glass = Cool.
Wood boat in a plywood box = Pain in the rear to work on.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Zach

I'd like to reiterate/second what Amgine just said... scream it from the roof tops.

A wooden boat that was intended to be wooden... with a layer of plywood and fiberglass around the outside, is something quite difficult to repair. Soft plank? Need to fasten in new floors? Scarf in some new rub rail...

Some things just can't be done with the fiberglass and plywood in place. Others (like refastening from the outside...) require loads of glass work to keep the fiberglass intact too.

Just plywood and glass = Cool.
Wood boat in a plywood box = Pain in the rear to work on.

My boat is strip planked, top nailed with 3" nails and screwed onto 2"x3" paired sawn frames and every seam and joint glued, regardless of the 2 layers of glass on the outside of the hull and the 1/4" ceiling on the inside of the frame, I hope never to have to repair my hull.

[Chief Engineer]

You should find out where you are going to keep a wood boat.

Many/Majority of Marinas around here do not allow wood boats.

Even classics........The Beancounters have a fear o'risk.

Just like the argument against Atomic 4 Engines being dangerous
(Which was perpetuated by Westerbreak when they bought Universal)