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

[Surfdoc23]

I am new to sailing anything bigger than an old sunfish. I finally got my wife and son into it and we are looking at buying our first boat. Most boats I looked at are fiberglass but there is one I keep seeing on Craigslist and various boat broker sites. It is a wooden hulled boat. I have seen it at its mooring as I sailed passed during lessons. I cannot see anything obviously wrong with it but I don’t really know much about what to look for other than a if it had a recent survey and the general condition. My first question is aside from the obvious building material differences, are there any significant differences in maintenance or soundness of the hull itself?

2nd. I live in Hawaii and have heard that the climate here is hard on wooden hulls. One marina will not allow a wooden hull boat without a survey in the previous year when applying for a slip.

Lastly, is it worth considering a wooden hull boat if you are not well versed in carpentry?