Finding A No Wood Boat

[MarcStAug]

I know the villagers with torches and pitchforks will likely come out of the woodwork (pun intended) to burn this heretic, but I've looked and looked and just am curious if there are boats out there between say 38' and 45' that are not loaded with wood inside? I've searched "no wood", "woodless", etc... to no avail.

I see a good many with no discernible wood on the exterior, neither deck nor cockpit, but are there any you know of without the wood loaded interior?

[PSea]

there is a boat on the drawing board called the Adventure 40. i believe it will have minimal wood on the interior. check out Morgans Cloud and there's a ton of information being discussed about it. theyre attempting to hit a $200,000 price point.

good luck

[Steadman Uhlich]

What follows is written in a friendly tone of voice, with the sole intent to help you.

Why are you looking for a boat with NO wood inside (interior trim etc.)??


What age (years) are you looking?

What price range (asking price)?
_______________

Interior wood needs little care on most boats. Mostly just an occasional wipedown (cleaning) or if it is teak some oil and rarely varnish.

__________________

Some boats are known as "clorox bottles" because they used so much plastic in the inside (in addition to the hull).

MacGregor 65, for example.

Of course that is longer than your stated goal LOA. But it is a good example of a boat with a "plastic" and "formica" and "smoked acrylic" looking interior.

Some boats have a veneer bulkhead and trim, with a more "white plastic" looking liner look inside. I don't follow those models, but I have gotten that impression by seeing some of them in the past.

Outside of your LOA range, some of the Deerfoot and Dashew designed boats have a light colored interior (some may have light wood) and can look "almost white" inside for hard surfaces.

__________________

My favorite look is White bulkheads and lockers (cabinets) with some small wood trim (in warm oiled teak finish).

While I generally like quality wood interiors (not fake wood), the least appealing to me is "dark teak" on all surfaces (floor to ceiling, walls, furniture, tables, etc.). There has been one rare exception (a Baba 40 as I recall) that had an exceptional interior finish.

___________

If you are buying an OLD boat, there may be little loss in painting the wood if you don't like the finish.

I will post a couple of photos showing a Before and After (these were posted in this forum last year by a member who did the paint job), which shows how an inexpensive looking interior from a boat (about 1970 model as I recall) was "updated" with paint. You might not like the colors used, but it does show how the atmosphere can be changed by lightening the surfaces and adding color. I think it made a big improvement.

[MarcStAug]

Hey thanks for that response. More helpful than you might imagine. Let me just say up front: The stuff I've learned, and continue to learn from this forum is mind boggling. I've spent countless hours reading thru hundreds of pages and I just shake my head sometimes and think, "Wow.. there is this wealth of knowledge here that should be in some sort of knowledge base."

This is just a personal preference thing. This isn't a teak/wood bashing thing. Lots of folks like the lots of wood thing; I just am not one of them. My home is visually pretty light and that's just my personal preference. It has nothing to do with tradition or anything else, it is just about the visual of where I live.

That said:

Why are you looking for a boat with NO wood inside (interior trim etc.)?
I just like a lighter, brighter place to live. Not really about maintenance. It's just a personal choice.

What age (years) are you looking?
Knowing that I haven't seen anything like this yet, my general feeling would be that whatever I get will just have to be updated - like the examples you provided and I would prefer something under 15-20 years old. Seems like the older they get the more wood which in my mind reads as "darker".

What price range (asking price)? My budget will be up to $150K all in.

... My favorite look is White bulkheads and lockers (cabinets) with some small wood trim (in warm oiled teak finish).
Exactly what I was thinking. Some wood trim is fine, it's just the massive wood everywhere, wood everything, under foot, on the bulkheads, dark look I am not into.

... but it does show how the atmosphere can be changed by lightening the surfaces and adding color. I think it made a big improvement.

I've seen one of the examples and thought it would be a totally viable alternative for the interior. I've just changed my wood kitchen cabinets to a white painted finish and I like it. It was a PITA but the final product was worth every minute of effort.

It was only a few years ago I realized people actually painted the OUTSIDE of boats! I grew up in St Augustine and our power boats when I was growing up were just cleaned, compounded and waxed, never painted.

[Steadman Uhlich]

You might want to look at a catamaran.

At the lower end (lower price and older) they do not have a lot of wood in their salons, but they do generally have a lot of plastic, curves, white, and lots of LIGHT.

Most monohulls at the lower end and older, will have relatively DARK interiors. If the boat has very small and few portlights (on the side of the cabin) and few or no or covered deck hatches, then it can be DARK even during a bright sunny day (sometimes). Some boats will look like a "cave" on overcast days.

I think the lighter the interior, the better in most cases. I think it does seem to make the space "more open" looking, even if it is not.

You should google "Herreshoff" boats and look at their interiors. The classic "Herreshoff" look was white bulkheads and wood trim (like I mentioned earlier). This look or style has been emulated by other boat builders in the past.

At the other end, is the "white melamine" look. What follows is NOT intended to be offensive to anyone with a boat that has that kind of interior. It is simply a statement of a comparison to more expensive looking (and actually more expensive to build) interiors of solid teak (now a rare find). This white melamine looks relatively "cheap" in my opinion in many cases. However, it is commonly seen on boats where the interior is finished less expensively or by an owner who built his own boat. However, I would prefer white melamine over the 1970s look of "walnut vinyl veneer" or "fake wood grain" that was common on lower end boats of the 1970s.

For those who prefer a utilitarian look (no frills). The "Adventure 40" boat was mentioned up above. I read their description of that boat. As I recall, it was going to have plain laminate surfaces rather than any teak or hardwood interior furniture. This was to keep the cost down. It did not sound very appealing to me.

I prefer "real wood" that has been painted white, rather than plastic laminate that is white. I see a difference.

But, if you have the money, you can get anything you want.
___________________

Lately I have been looking at metal boats (another thing I like). In many cases the aluminum boats are finished in gloss or semigloss white paint (the entire interior). This can look "clean and new" if it is kept clean. I find it appealing in most cases.

Color can be good too. I just prefer to see it added with soft goods (cloth, fabric, pillows, settee cushion covers etc.)….and artwork (I am a painter, after all ).

[Steadman Uhlich]

Here are two boats at the extreme ends of the spectrum:

One boat is White Plastic Interior (something new, a recent Beneteau as I recall)

Other boat is Solid Teak on All Surfaces (including the ceiling overhead). (Baba 40).

[RolfP]

Seaward (Hake Yachts) makes boats with little or no wood, but size and price might not match yours. Its one reason I like them. They are different, beachable, trailerable, and all fiberglass and stainless steel. http://www.seawardyachts.com



Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[MarcStAug]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

You might want to look at a catamaran.

I haven't considered them at all. It just was not something in my mind's eye. I've seen that their owners can be rabidly loyal enthusiasts, so, Hmm..

Some boats will look like a "cave" on overcast days.
EXACTLY what I'd like to avoid. I saw a thread somewhere where the boat owner added large rectangular ports to bring more light. Non-operating, more like a "picture window" sort of effect.

I think the lighter the interior, the better in most cases. I think it does seem to make the space "more open" looking, even if it is not.

At the other end, is the "white melamine" look.
I know a lot of owners hate the "IKEA" look of some boats as they call it. I'd rather have IKEA than a cave though.

Color can be good too. I just prefer to see it added with soft goods (cloth, fabric, pillows, settee cushion covers etc.)….and artwork (I am a painter, after all
Yep, even though I have a pretty light neutral base at home its not dead boring..lol
.

I am going to look more for the updated look on an existing vessel. I was just curious about the existence of some manufacturer I haven't been able to find that had less "woody" sort of look inside. I know without a doubt I don't want it topside.

[MarcStAug]

Originally Posted by RolfP

Seaward (Hake Yachts) makes boats with little or no wood, but size and price might not match yours. Its one reason I like them. They are different, beachable, trailerable, and all fiberglass and stainless steel. Seaward Yachts | Sail Without Boundaries

Boy that 46 looks mighty fine but that just reeks $$$ outside my budget! But nice. It reminds me why my favorite sort of design is the deck salon that some builders have giving it more light.

[Jim Cate]

A lot of yachts built in New Zealand have the sort of interior finish that you seek. Have a look at some Elliot designs, and other modern designers from that hot bed of yachting.

Not my cup of tea, but I can understand the thought train.

Cheers,

Jim

[Jack Verschuur]

Maybe you should have a read on interior architecture, and see how colour and texture influence the perception of a space. Light colours may work very well on some interiors, but be horrible on others.

Also bear in mind that paint chips: knock a solid wood panel, you end up with a dented surface, but a re-painted interior may look shabby quickly on a boat.

Have a look at Yachtworld, look fopr results of a range of boats that are known for their well made interiors. Now look at the cheapest offerings of a particular model, and find cheaply done re-fitted interiors, with re-used edgeing and mouldings, but all panels substituted with melamine. It may look pleasing to some, but it doesn't to me.

The other solution may be to look for a race boat and make it habitable.

Best,

Jack.

[Strait Shooter]

Where did I put that damn pitchfork?

[Island Time O25]

I may be old fashioned in my opinions but unless one specifically choses a dock queen I really think that the interior - wood or no wood should not be the first and primary criteria to choose a boat. Perhaps with all other factors being equal it can become a deciding factor. But IMO quality of build and systems, affordability for one's budget, seagoing qualities, condition - all of these should rank way higher than wood or no wood issue.

I personally also like "light and airy" look and lighter woods over darker ones - maple, birch, ashwood. And my home is that way. However, when looking for a boat I did not specifically seek out wood or no wood but kind of fell in love with a well preserved (woodwise) then 30 year old boat which I could afford, was very well built if less stellary maintained and had turned out to have lots of interior teak. Thankfully due to lots of hatches and ports she does not feel dark and gloomy but rather homey and comforting, like an English gentleman's sunny library. And very little maintenance as it turned out. No more than would be wiping off plastic walls.

As far as woodless interiors, other than Macgregors 26 and 65, I do recall seeing a few European models during my boat search which had minimal amount of wood, if any. I think that's the best bet for finding one is to look across the Pond as they started woodless production much sooner than in US or Canada.

[skipmac]

Hi Marc,

Your preference for mostly white interior is actually in line with a lot of traditional, wood boats where the bulkheads and much of the interior was of course wood but painted white. You are not alone in your love of that look. Problem is when boats went to mostly fiberglass it seems at the same time the style went to more unpainted wood, interior and exterior.

Trying to find a boat today with no wood interior will severely limit your choices. Maybe a better option is to find a boat that you like otherwise and paint the bulkheads and cabinets to suite your preferences. There are plenty of older boats with the interior wood finish that is scratched, faded and otherwise visually damaged but structurally perfect that would probably sell under market due to the TLC needed. Could be the ideal opportunity for you.

[MarcStAug]

Originally Posted by Jack Verschuur

Maybe you should have a read on interior architecture, and see how colour and texture influence the perception of a space. Light colours may work very well on some interiors, but be horrible on others.

Jack, I am degreed in computer and information science with a minor in, of all things, interior architecture (I'd toyed with the architecture idea). So I get the reference.

As I said from the get go, this is just about a personal preference for the lighter finish.

And for the "dock queen" response, I may just want to be a dock dweller most of the time. I have no real aspirations to race across the ocean, or be a "blue water" superhero. I have a love of slow and easy coastal cruising, maybe the Bahamas or Caribbean at a pace that would likely freak out the "go fast" generation. Check out the Thread here about the "Cockpit potato". You may just gain some useful insight into other cruising, and yes, DOCKIN, mentality.