Brilliant IDEA?

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Wansworth

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Instead of resurecting old wooden boats why not form a group and build a series of say 30 footeds on the lines of a Hillyard .With the paid help of two boatbuilders the basic woodwok could be done leaving the tedious finishing off to the individual owners,therforecutting costs.Bulk purchases could be made no doubt.The basic handyman may not feel qualified to attempt a hull and deck but with guidance all is possible!
 
There's a problem with quoting only the puncjline from the joke....some folk take you seriously.

Actually, as seasoned wood of the quality required for boatbuilding is virtually unobtainable, perhaps the comment was partly serious. It would be interesting to see what the modern wooden boats are like in a hundred years time, but I'll be long gone by then.
 
I thought that the emerging materiall was an epoxied timber lay up. I understood that this was an ideal combination using 'cheaper' wood and getting the best out of nature and technology.
Would the group of 30 ever agree on the exact hull shape/dimensions etc??
 
With the price of oil going upcheap wood encased in epoxy may be quite expensive,anyway itrs not traditional building.One would imagine a boat like a Vertue or a small Hillyard .Deciding on a model to build would as you suggest be a stumbling block.I worked years ago at Hillyards for a breif period and I assisted a craftsman plank up a 9 tonner and under guidance was capable of making a contribution to the job,I still can recall the smells of the wood and enamel paint and varnish!
 
Yes epoxy will become more expensive. I thought that the latest system used much less resin than an all GRP layup.
Tradition is great but I feel that it should not be tradition for traditions sake.
Or what about steel? arguably traditional and (arguably) with modern steel and treatments the best material even for smaller boats now?
 
"Eucalyptus" is a genus with some 400 species, covering the full range of timber properties. Many of these are used commercially, but some are not really suitable for boatbuilding. It is essential to know which of these species you are buying. Superb species are Jarrah and Spotted Gum; Blue Gum and Red Gum are fine, but Mountain Ash is best used in interiors.
Peter.
 
Re:woody boats

There is lots of Eucalyptus growning here,but seems its for paper making,even so it grows like wild fire and kills off the forest floor;but as the european directive has almost wiped out wooden boatbuilding here never be a chance to try it!
 
Re:woody boats

My fishing vessel is 40 foot long, Oregon over hardwood frames. It is probably worth about $50,000 sold on as an amatuer fishing cruiser. Ignoring the machinery and just costing out the materials to build a similar hull would cost about $200,000 plus labour. Plenty of good timber available, its just so expensive. There seems to be a glut of secondhand yachts on the market at surprisingly low prices. I would have to question ones sanity at the very idea of building timber classics again.

Some very nice and some famous ocean racers on the market. These have minimal interiors usually. Fitting one of these out with a nice timber interior makes more sense.
 
Re:woody boats

Maybe not, but it still seems to be happening - in the last two years, I've heard of two people wanting to build a copy of my boat out of wood, so there must be some availability. I have not been privy to information on which wood they intend to use, but it must be happening somehow...
 
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