Are wooden hull boats a viable option or should I steer clear?

[Jim Cate]

Thanks again. I really do appreciate it.

You're welcome... that's what we are here for! And your plan sounds quite reasonable, too. Good luck with it, and check in here now and then and let us know how it is going.

Jim

[33trippindaisy]

I think most people whether sailing or even power boaters find old wooden boats to be something soothing to the eye, and for me to the soul. I simply adore them. BUT, I have never owned one either.

My main mentor in boating told me three things the day I walked our first Marina dock, and he said these three things would carry me far if we (my wife and I) decided to buy a bigger boat (we had a Seahunt 215 Walk-around at the time). They were on their 34 foot 1981 Mainship Mark II at the time, which is another boat that makes me crazy in love......any ways he said this:

1) Every man should own at least one wooden boat.
2) Every man should paint their own bottom at least one time.
3) That inlet and every inlet will kill you if it gets the chance.

Lockwood-Folly River Inlet, North Carolina was the closest one to us, and yes over the years she has spun me, surfed me, grounded me and taught me that he was not telling old sailer lies. And I did paint the bottom of my Pacemaker 26 just once as well. I have yet to own a wooden boat other than a hand built canoe, but I still love the old sailboats made of wood, and truly have learned to love the big wooden Deadrise Bay Boats still being made in NC and the Chesapeake Bay area, and one day I just might own one, you never know!

[stnick]

If your new Just dont do it. You will spend money and Yard time Years in fixing her up .
Glass at least is one piece.Have a survey Pay the money like a home inspector.
Even if its free. You will have no more time and energy and money in fix up !

[KP44]

Welcome aboard, Surfdoc 23.

My opinion, FWIW.
I owned a beautiful, wood-hull, Blanchard 26' sloop for a few years. I never want to own another wood hull. I hear that steel boats are the only hulls that need more maintenance than wood. I am not against wood or steel. They are just not for me if I have a choice.

[Cadence]

Old planked wooden boats have their place with the enthusiast the same as antique cars but not with a novice looking for an entry level boat.

[Dougtiff]

Depends on what the boat is built out off, my first boat was Teak [vertue], second, teak [robb 35, choeylee, both boat's needed little maintenance, third boat Mahogany, lots of work, and rot issues, recent boat, Mahogany, lots of work to keep up.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by Mossy Man

Hi Surfdoc
I have owned both timber and fibreglass. Presently I have an Alan Payne 28 built in Sydney in 1951. To own a timber boat you need to be a bit handy to be able to fix a few things as Shipwrights’s services are very expensive.
I have drawn inspiration from the forum members to fix problems myself ranging from working on my 45 year old Kubota to fixing some rot in the cabin side which I am doing at the moment.
I have not really found that the hull needs much more care than a fibreglass hullas long as you haul yearly.
The pleasure of sailing Wynstay can not be described as it is a joy to sail, a bit cramped to stay on but still a lot of fun. I mainly day sail but have ventured up the coast and she handles the seaway well.
She is strip planked Oregon on spotted gum frames. Good luck with whatever you buy.

You say there is no extra maintenance if the boat is hauled yearly. What is done during the haul out? Isn’t that just extra maintenance all by itself?

[picklesandjesse]

Nothing wrong with a well built strip planked or cold molded wooden boat. Mine was built in NZ in 1974 with 4 layers of Kauri and has recently cruised 100,000 miles and is in perfect condition. No real work to do but I'm going to change the shape of the hard dodger and change the colour ( color ) scheme to make her a bit more appealing to the eye.

[JPA Cate]

surfdoc23:

There are wood boats and wood boats. Some are riskier purchases than others. If you do a Google Search on the vessel White Cloud formerly owned by Paul and Susan Mitchell, somewhere there is a letter she posted in Latitude 38 about White Cloud's last sail: it brought tears to my eyes. It does help to have known the people involved. But the point is that modern timber composite construction is different from older methods, and the boats, in either case, can last a very long time.

Check out some of the Wooden Boat Festivals. There's one in Washington State, and there's a world class one in Tasmania, and I believe there are many others, including one in Maine, USA.

Ann

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Old planked wooden boats have their place with the enthusiast the same as antique cars but not with a novice looking for an entry level boat.

I dont know.. my first boat was a Magyar 7, pitch pine planks on oak frames that had been standing in a yard for 3yrs. I paid £500 for her and spent maybe the same again plus 18mths getting her together and launching, not counting yard fees.
This type is less complex than plastic to work on, kinda like the old bolt together VW's.. went on to sail her for 3 seasons.

[MartinR]

Cold molded hulls will last for a long time without more upkeep than a fibreglass boat, if they are painted. Varnished - different thing. And they do not get "soft" the way fibreglass racing boats do.

The problems most often occur in the bilge section. Standing water there is not good, and will cause delimitation, especially of laminated floors. Easy to spot.

Traditional built wooden boats are very different, not hard to work on, but need much more time than a fibreglass boat. Also, more prone to rot of course.

[smj]

I’m guessing a pretty good percentage of new production boats are balsa core encapsulated in polyester resin, wouldn’t that be considered a wooden boat? And wouldn’t that be inferior to a strip planked or cold molded hull encapsulated in epoxy?

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by smj

I’m guessing a pretty good percentage of new production boats are balsa core encapsulated in polyester resin, wouldn’t that be considered a wooden boat? And wouldn’t that be inferior to a strip planked or cold molded hull encapsulated in epoxy?

No, not inferior at all, quality builders have balsa cored hulls since 40 years back. Of course, these are also wood composite boats. Almost all fibreglass boats are built with balsa cored decks.

As coring material balsa is superior to practically everything else. If correctly done. Slow failure mode, compared to for example divinycell, which can fail very rapidly if water intrudes. Don't ask me how I know

[smj]

Originally Posted by MartinR

No, not inferior at all, quality builders have balsa cored hulls since 40 years back. Of course, these are also wood composite boats. Almost all fibreglass boats are built with balsa cored decks.



As coring material balsa is superior to practically everything else. If correctly done. Slow failure mode, compared to for example divinycell, which can fail very rapidly if water intrudes. Don't ask me how I know

I have nothing against using balsa as a core if done correctly but would rather see the use of epoxy rather than polyester resin.

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by smj

I have nothing against using balsa as a core if done correctly but would rather see the use of epoxy rather than polyester resin.

Or vinylester. Anyhow, balsa provides a very strong bond, and can take high shear loads.

I think almost all strip planked or wood laminate boats are built with epoxy.

Today, with resin infusion, core failures, independent of core material should not happen anymore. But never say never.