Well constructed wood hulls

[BigBonesBotta]

Alright this is my first post here. So I've had my eye on this gorgeous 30 foot "Out-O-Gloucester" for sale, looks to be in excellent shape, but she's a wood hull. Now from what I've read elsewhere these where extremely well made, so my question is: what kind of maintenance would she need and what will it cost? I'm after a roomy unique boat I can cruise with and live aboard in a pinch, and this seems to be ideal, save the wood...

Thanks!

[Teknav]

Hiya Big! Stay away from wooden boats! Get a fiberglass boat instead; much nicer on your finances. Wooden boats require a continuous labor of love, and very very deep pockets to maintain. You want a boat that you can sail right off the bat, and not a boat that will be a lifetime project, in addition to being impossible to sell down the road. Good luck!

Mauritz
Simplicity and elegance through engineering.

[Efraim]

Originally Posted by BigBonesBotta

Alright this is my first post here. So I've had my eye on this gorgeous 30 foot "Out-O-Gloucester" for sale, looks to be in excellent shape, but she's a wood hull. Now from what I've read elsewhere these where extremely well made, so my question is: what kind of maintenance would she need and what will it cost? I'm after a roomy unique boat I can cruise with and live aboard in a pinch, and this seems to be ideal, save the wood...

Thanks!

To answer your question you need someone who knows wood boats to do a survey, preferably someone who builds wood boats. As far as cost of up keep goes, it depends on the condition of the boat, and what type of owner you are, and where you are. Boats in northern waters tend to do better than boats in southern waters - very broad generalization.

[kentobin]

If you like working on boats get a wooden boat. They're continual maintenance.

Planked wooden boats 'work' . The resulting cracks are an opening in any protective coating.

Don't maintain the deck correctly and get a deck leak where rainwater can enter you'll get wood rot. Don't maintain the hull correctly and you'll get worms. There's a reason a lot of old wooden boats put copper sheeting set in tar and felt over their wooden hulls.

You're continually varnishing the exterior wood and there's a lot of it.

Fiberglass may not look as pretty but it's a lot easier to maintain.

[BigBonesBotta]

Thanks all, just what I wanted to hear. I'm just after something unique and interesting, rather than your generic (albeit easy to find) Catalina or similar. More difficult than one would expect on a tight budget...

[bizzy]

nothing wrong with a wooden boat ,see if your fiberglass one is still around after 105 years .

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by bizzy

nothing wrong with a wooden boat ,see if your fiberglass one is still around after 105 years .

I've sailed on a wooden boat that was was officially over a century old. One of the oldest Dutch fishing vessels that still sails. However, during its life about everything on it had been replaced at least once. There was only one single piece of wood in the hull that was still original...
So in a way, just like a building can last forever if properly maintained so can a wooden boat. But there is no reason to assume that a fiberglass boat couldn't last a century or more as well.

[Blue Stocking]

Mystic Seaport just put the Charles W Morgan back in, after a refit, on its 172nd birthday.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, BigBonesBotta.

See ➥ http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvic/pdf/1995/n7-95.pdf

[Delancey]

Not a lot of romance when it comes to fiberglass, at least not when compared to the beauty of a thoughtfully crafted wood boat. A nice thing about wood is that it literally grows on trees and if those trees are sustainably harvested you've got yourself a pretty righteous boatbuilding material.

Traditional plank on frame boats tend to be a bit needy in terms of maintenance. Modern wood/epoxy composite construction can produce excellent high performance boats with very little required maintenance.

The Out-O-Gloucester is an older Bolger design? He actually designed some very beautiful boats even though he is more widely known for his economical plywood boats. I say if you like the boat, get a survey by someone who knows wooden boats. You may end up with a boat with a hell of a lot more character than a plastic Clorox bottle which will give you years of pride and pleasure. Good luck!

[BigBonesBotta]

How much does maintenance cost on a wood hull as apposed to a fiberglass hull?

[Teknav]

200-300% more than fiberglass! Every so often, you'll need to dismantle/strip all the wood and put in new hardware...in addition, wood rots and harbors worms...very expensive maintenance.

Mauritz
Knows and sees all...

[BigBonesBotta]

And how often do you need to replace the fasteners?

[goboatingnow]

There was only one single piece of wood in the hull that was still original...
So in a way, just like a building can last forever if properly maintained so can a wooden boat. But there is no reason to assume that a fiberglass boat couldn't last a century or more as well.

yes as my dad used to say, he had a 80 year old pickaxe , great stuff, only 8 handles and 4 heads its its lifetime !!!. Thats wooden boats for you.

dave

[Efraim]

Originally Posted by BigBonesBotta

And how often do you need to replace the fasteners?

Sort of like asking "how long is a piece of string"?