Wood Hull Maintenance Requirements

A boater hasn't lived until they have taken a chainsaw to a 1' by 1' by 20' hunk of deadwood complete with bronze lags. [emoji120]

diver dave said:

A boater hasn't lived until they have taken a chainsaw to a 1' by 1' by 20' hunk of deadwood complete with bronze lags. [emoji120]

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Ouch! Nasty!!!

Nomad Willy said:

It's "wood boats" not wooden boats.

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In Australia and New Zealand they are "timber" boats. After living here for 35 years, its one of the few Aussie terms I haven't picked up. It is still wood to me, although I occasionally use wooden as well.

AusCan said:

In Australia and New Zealand they are "timber" boats. After living here for 35 years, its one of the few Aussie terms I haven't picked up. It is still wood to me, although I occasionally use wooden as well.

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Put a copy in the "what's a trawler" and "salon vs saloon", etc...etc file....

AusCan,
Yup "timber" boats works for me same as wood.

Nomad Willy said:

AusCan,
Yup "timber" boats works for me same as wood.

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But... ya just don't like the term wooden. go figure!!

I want to thank everyone for their input. The information really helped me in my decision making. I think for my needs, fiberglass is a better choice.
Eric

diver dave said:

A boater hasn't lived until they have taken a chainsaw to a 1' by 1' by 20' hunk of deadwood complete with bronze lags. [emoji120]

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Yeah, and that 1' X 1' hunk of deadwood with bronze anything most likely became available after hundreds of 2" fasteners rotted away to make piece parts. And rotted fasteners are wooden boat killers. Worse, they hide in dangerous places

Putty bugs. Fasteners fine.

Being totally (almost) ignorant on the subject, I'd say keep the boat in the water, and try not to have the hull dry out.

I live on an 83' wood boat built for the CG in 1942 and professionally converted to a yacht in the 70s. Fiberglass decks and cabin tops, the rest painted wood, bottom copper plated. I also owned other wood boats from the late 50s. 1st boat was a planked rowboat. Plus had steel and fiberglass hulls, too. I owned a yard that built and repaired wood & steel boats. I'm near 70 and do most of the maintenance. Good tools and good sanders make a big difference.
The above the waterline wood needs to be kept dry. Whatever that takes. If you go to bare wood and do a good paint job, starting with the primer, you can go years with just touch up. After 3-5 years I sand it all and do a couple new coats. Maybe stripped every 20 years. Maybe never. Varnish really needs to be done every year. I had enough, so my varnish is painted. Don't use house paint and caulk products. Period. Inside or out. They don't even work well on a house.
In salt water you need to haul at least every 2 years. Maybe 3 if you use really good paint and check your paint and zincs yearly. You don't want boring worms in your wood. They can't get thru toxic paint or copper. In fresh water you can go 5 years as long as you keep rock salt or borate in the bilge. Salt preserves. In the olden days vessels were built with salt boxes between the ribs, up top, under the deck. Moisture collected ran down the insides and preserved the wood. Most fish docks have rock salt and borate can be found at log home builder suppliers. Low volume power vented bilges will get rid of the boat smell and keep mold at bay.

People are going to argue the haulout periods, but I've seen many bottoms and done many bottoms. I usta like the soft ones best.

Works well in high latitudes. You have a perforated, leaky hull in 18 months in southern waters as the bugs exploit every small crack in the AF paint. Unless you glass the hull, heaven forbid.

Thanks Lepke for a splash of reatity and nothing about wood boats being some kind of plague. These kids from after the wood boat days just don't know enough to make a wood boat post much less pass on serious advice. It's a follow the bash the wood boats guys from a generation that has little concept of the work is not evil but the road to pride, knowlege and experience and that a good days work puts more pleasure into pleasure boating. Just like doing a job around the house and gaining more from satisfaction than the gain from the job being done.

Every generation seems to go through this. It's amazing that the scenario seems to keep repeating itself. But it does. I'm not saying doing bottoms is fun but even that gives satisfaction. I had a girlfriend in a family of five and they all got very down and dirty every spring working over a 36' CC getting ready for summer cruising. They all thought boating was wonderful but the girlfriend thought the destination was better than trip on the water. And she was a serious boater. A power boater that knew the difference between a ketch and a yawl. Being amazed by that is how I got to knew her.

My family owned wood boat when I was born.

I worked with dad maintaining our wood boats from mid grade school onward. By 9th grade I worked part time during weekends in boat yards - on wood boats.

Latter teen years I worked nearly full time weekends in the yards.

At 18 years I worked full time for a new boat builder - built boats with wood and with fiberglass... that was then a new material to me for building boats.

Aesthetically for visuals and tactile feel I keep well built wooden boats as by far the most attractive. They also "sound" great regarding many instances. And, in general wood provides good insulation value compared to most other boat building materials and techniques. Varnish, that I did hundreds of times is spectacular for "looks". But... to keep it looking really good there is much effort required. God for bid varnish is let get old enough for blemishes to reach into the varnished wood... than you really have your work cut out.

Painting with top quality paints, having ample coats, onto well prepared surfaces can make surface maintenance efforts on wood boats become considerable bearable.

Having owned, worked on for maintaince and built both wooden and fiberglass material boats I feel I have ample experience to make the following statements.

1. Design qualifications, original build quality [and for used boats previous owner care] are the top items regarding boat value.

2. For care time spent and efforts expended wood usually is 2X +/- over fiberglass.

3. Both build techniques last equally long time when ample care is provided.

4. If a boat is left unattended [to weather more than just a bit] for a few to several years it is usually easier to restore fiberglass than wood.

5. Boats are GREAT - But require efforts to own for years of satisfying ownership.

Note: I have no experience on steel or aluminum material boats and therefore can not make comment

Happy Boat-Ownership Daze! - Art

diver dave said:

Works well in high latitudes. You have a perforated, leaky hull in 18 months in southern waters as the bugs exploit every small crack in the AF paint. Unless you glass the hull, heaven forbid.

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That's not entirely true.
Ours has spent her last 40 years working working waters 10 degree to 27 degree and no signs of any putty bug or worm.
3 years between lifts at times, usually 18mths to 2years.

Maybe these guys have it wrong?
WoodenBoat Magazine | The magazine for wooden boat owners, builders, and designers.
Bruce

Simi 60 said:

That's not entirely true.
Ours has spent her last 40 years working working waters 10 degree to 27 degree and no signs of any putty bug or worm.
3 years between lifts at times, usually 18mths to 2years.

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10 to 27, near frigid.

I'm talking Palm Beach, in the water year 'round. In your units, 25 to 34 deg C, 10 months of the year. Lots of bad life here...

My kid knows way more than me on many topics.

I grew up and worked around a yard with nothing but wooden boats except one .

My family even owned 3 wooden boats through the years which I did most of the maintenance on.....so there are others in this forum who don't condemn wooden boats, but are smart enough to know the realities of the two. I have also been on or helped coordinate plenty of rescues and salvages of wooden boats......yep....labor of love and a roll of the dice.

Not everyones dream is the same....we all know that.....so telling me keeping a wooden boat is the road to pride is one way at looking at the world, but certainly isn't the only one.

diver dave said:

10 to 27, near frigid.

I'm talking Palm Beach, in the water year 'round. In your units, 25 to 34 deg C, 10 months of the year. Lots of bad life here...

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I'm talking latitude 10 to 27
For you that's Florida south to Venezuala

Most of her life she worked as a gulf of carpentaria prawn trawler which is around 12.

Simi 60 said:

I'm talking latitude 10 to 27
For you that's Florida south to Venezuala

Most of her life she worked as a gulf of carpentaria prawn trawler which is around 12.

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Impressive. And nothing but paint between wood and this warm water?

diver dave said:

Impressive. And nothing but paint between wood and this warm water?

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Nothing but paint.
No copper, no glass

Last time spot primed jotamastic and carboline sea barrier 3000 antifoul including prop.
Still looks as good as it did at launch apart from where chain has scraped the shoe around the bow.

In these days, many people buying wood boats are doing so because they are less expensive. If you're very careful buying, you can have a very nice boat with reasonable maintenance. IT allows more boat for the money, but takes a little more effort.
If you do a proper job, wood boats last almost indefinitely. I know of 2 halibut schooners still fishing. One built about 1900 and the other in the 20s. I'm sure they've had major rebuilding, but worth the cost to a commercial fisherman that has to make a profit. And cheaper than acquiring a newer boat.