Calling wooden boat freaks

[vyv_cox]

There's what looks like a very nice boat for sale at Hellevoetsluis. 1949 Mitchell-built Bristol cutter. Interior looks superb and the hull, without an inspection, looks to be in very reasonable condition. Look <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.schepenkring.nl/en/results.php3?br=%&st=%&bm=1&lv=10&lnt=12&pv=0&pt=9999999&bv=0&bt=9999&lm=9999> here</A> for details and photos. I'm almost tempted myself - no, don't be stupid, of course I'm not!

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[Mirelle]

You called?

Nothing wrong with Percy Mitchell.

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[vyv_cox]

Re: You called?

I'm sure you're correct. It's just the thought of my ever owning a wooden boat that I find surprising.

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[Aeolus_IV]

Re: You called?

If we had thought that we could own and maintain a wooden boat there would have been so many more we liked to choose from. This is lovely looking boat - maybe when we have more than just the weekends available....

Jeff.

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[Mirelle]

Re: You called?

Why not try it?

You only live once, and you will probably enjoy it!

I am quite sure that wooden boat owners, as a group, enjoy their sailing more. A wooden boat, espescially a nice one, is just more interesting, somehow.

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[Mirelle]

Now there is a funny thing....

As we made our way from our mooring to shore (ours is almost the seaward-most buoy) yesterday evening, we counted which boats were fitted out and sailing by Easter, in our anchorage. Although most boats on moorings in the river are GRP, those fitted out were 8 wood, 3 GRP!

I will be the first to confess that I have not done a hand's turn of fitting out this year - I will do that in high summer, when I can book a slip cheaply, the paint and varnish have time to dry and the anchorages are crowded. Meanwhile, I am going sailing!

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[Aeolus_IV]

Re: Now there is a funny thing....

It's not the boats fault. We got ours out of the water, essential work done, then back in the water in two weeks. Had to take week off to do it though with Fi putting all her spare hours when not working, but worth it as we missing only two weekends sailing. It may be a perception which is miss-placed that wooden boats do, over the long term, require more dedicated looking after. This isn't to say that I wouldn't find this personally satisfying, rather that at the moment time and ability are lacking.

Jeff.

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[vyv_cox]

Re: You called?

I don't doubt it. I'm sure I would find owning a wooden boat very satisfying. I feel that at my time of life I want to be covering some water, rather than spending a lot of time working on the boat. Absolutely no objection to the work, I enjoy my winters as much as my summers but there is only so much time.

I don't doubt that wooden boat owners enjoy their sailing, but more than I do in my GRP boat? I doubt it.

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[drawp]

Re: You called?

If God had intended for us to build fibreglass boats, He would have grown fibreglass trees.

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[mickshep]

Re: You called?

Ha! Got you. 3 Fibreglass trees have sprouted outside one of the local 'fun pubs' 1 even has a slide inside it. Still like wooden boats better. Mike

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[Twister_Ken]

GRP

God's answer to deforestation

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[mickshep]

Re: GRP

Bloody hell, SAVE A TREE, PLANT G.R.P, That should get a few tree huggers going.

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[Sarum28]

Wooden boats smell better and talk to you more. We have had two, but hey, what do we know our current yacht is aluminium. Yeh, you're right wooden yachts are a lot of work, but we would have one again if we could afford to pay someone else to do the maintenance.

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[snowleopard]

A wooden boat is like a supermodel...

lovely to look at but I wouldn't want to own one.

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[Mirelle]

Why not?

I have posted, lower down this thread, an observation which I thought might give rise to some comment.

In our river, as of this weekend, 70% of the boats which are already on their moorings, fitted out for the season and in use, including mine, are wooden. One is steel and the rest are GRP. The majority of boats which have moorings are of course GRP.

This suggests three possibilities:

(a) The widely held belief that wooden boats never go sailing because their owners are forever painting them or ripping out planks is incorrect, and/or

(b) wooden boat owners are keener, and/or

(c) GRP boats need more maintenance?

THis figure ignores two wooden boats which are not on their moorings because their owners laid them up in Denmark, en route to St Petersburg, last season.

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[vyv_cox]

Re: Why not?

I think you need to turn your question around. If you did no maintenance, how long would the boat remain seaworthy? A GRP boat next to mine in Hellevoetsluis must rate as one of the least maintained but still used. The owners remove sails in about November and replace them in April or May. There is no evidence that they do anything between. I have replaced mooring warps for them on several occasions when they wore through. Despite this treatment, they sail regularly through the season. At the moment the boat is out of the water for antifouling, perhaps the first time in five years. Would a wooden boat accept this mistreatment?

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[Twister_Ken]

Maybe?

Could it be that the woodies are left out on their moorings because if they are taken ashore, they dry out and open up, so that they sink when next launched?



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