Folk Boats - look nice but are they much trouble?

[Breizh]

Hi, I have noticed quite a few 'Folk Boats' for sale which appear to be relatively inexpensive to buy, timber ones that is, but would I be buying a lot of trouble?

What work would require doing on a regular basis, do they require a huge amount of work every year? I have plenty of internal storage space so annual wintering wouldn't be an issue, also doing any work wouldn't either, but what cost are involved? I know its like asking how long is a piece of string, but on average what would I be looking at spending on an oldish timber folk boat?

Breizh

 

[forelle541]

Hi, you will look a long way to find a better boat to sail. I had one for 17 years only change of job caused me to go tupper ware. 5k should buy a good one but its engine age will make a big difference.

 

[rob2]

All wooden boats require more maintenance than their GRP counterparts - it's a labour of love, so only take it on if you want to undertake it. The FB is quite lightly built, although many have withstood the test of time with relatively minor repairs. It is said that the East German built boats require more maintenance than most others, I suspect that they're OK if you really keep on top of the work schedule but any faults worsen faster than a more diligently built example.

I knew of a boat in our club which was launched three times before she floated. The caulking needed replacing (carvel construction) and in the end they ran a disc cutter along each seam and sealed with Sikaflex. My own preference would have been to spline the joints as there was no substance to reinforce the mastic. The boat did float after that but wasn't kept very long! Most wooden FBs of a particular age will have frames and stringers repaired with sisters (a sort of splint alongside the damaged section) but a few is normal over the years.

Even though they are cheap to buy, you should prepare yourself by reading up on wooden boat construction and maintenance and ideally have a specialist surveyor check out a prospective purchase. An experienced surveyor can tell a tremendous amount by tapping the wood with a small hammer!

Rob.

 

[PhillM]

I have a wooden boat and have spent 3 years working on her every winter. Cheverton Caravel 24 foot so similar to folk boat.

Less then £3k to buy but £20k + to refit but now I expect a bill around £3k per year to keep her top top.

I have a rolling maintainence plan and can emil it to you if you pm me am email address.

Yes lots to do to keep her together but for me the work has its own satisfaction.

I know others will disagree but I also think that a heavy mab feels different / in a good way.

 

[Breizh]

Thanks guys, I suspect that there would be more work involved with a timber boat. Do they require painting/varnishing completely every year? I suppose it depends on what sea conditions its been sailed in during the season. My only concern is that whenever you mention that you might be thinking of buying a timber boat you always get the reply back that you'll need plenty of time & money… yet there are still plenty out there being sailed.

 

[forelle541]

There are a lot about because its the cheapest way to get sailing, I paid. Few hundred for my Folkboat and had years of fun, the main effort is painting and varnish every year, waiting for the weather to warm up so that the varnish wont go flat. You have to be careful with indoor storage that the hull does not shrink to much and buckle the fastenings.

 

[Breizh]

Thanks forelle541 I hadn't thought of the drying out issue with indoors storage! The sheds a bit drafty though, and the weather in winter where I live tends to be damp to say the least!

 

[TQA]

If you want to sail and see a wooden boat as a cheap way of going sailing you would be wrong. Buy a fibreglass boat.

However if you enjoy the maintenance work and get as much pleasure from caulking a seam or maintaining a wet edge across a transom as you do when sailing then just maybe it is right for you.

 

[keensailor]

Hi, I have noticed quite a few 'Folk Boats' for sale which appear to be relatively inexpensive to buy, timber ones that is, but would I be buying a lot of trouble?

What work would require doing on a regular basis, do they require a huge amount of work every year? I have plenty of internal storage space so annual wintering wouldn't be an issue, also doing any work wouldn't either, but what cost are involved? I know its like asking how long is a piece of string, but on average what would I be looking at spending on an oldish timber folk boat?

Breizh

I used to own a Stella folk boat (mahohany hull with teak deck). I think total time spent on maintenance may have exceed time sailing. Something always needed fixing.
I would go with a fibreglass folkboat, they look great and solid in a big blow.
The fibreglass ones are cheaper than the wooden ones are where I live (Sydney Aust.)
here is the ole girl;

 

[Daydream believer]

I bought Stella No 103 which was a virtual wreck with sprung planks,loose chainplates rotten decks loose rovings etc.
I bought it because it had a brand new 10hp Lombardini engine etc in it
I stripped it to a hull with only deck beams in place
Rebuilt it & sheathed in west epoxy on 300 grm mat
Took 3.5 years ( in my joinery workshop) working most weekends
When finished it looked great & sailed well
Never leaked a single drop to the amazement of the marina that launched for me
Cost to buy the boat in 1997 -£2200 . total cost when complete £14000
Sold it for £9000 in 2003
Really recomend sheathing a wooden boat as it solves numerous problems

 

[Daydream believer]

I used to own a Stella folk boat (mahohany hull with teak deck). I think total time spent on maintenance may have exceed time sailing. Something always needed fixing.
I would go with a fibreglass folkboat, they look great and solid in a big blow.
The fibreglass ones are cheaper than the wooden ones are where I live (Sydney Aust.)
here is the ole girl;
View attachment 35218

Please do not insult Stellas by referring them as folk boats
Plus a "proper " Stella does not have a dog house

 

[DanTribe]

Please do not insult Stellas by referring them as folk boats
Plus a "proper " Stella does not have a dog house

He's referring to the Stella & Folkboat Association of Australia. They do things differently there.
I seem to remember that an early owner, Gilly Hedges, went to Australia and spread the gospel about Stellas in the 60s or 70s.
Dan [Stella32]

 

[alant]

Hi, I have noticed quite a few 'Folk Boats' for sale which appear to be relatively inexpensive to buy, timber ones that is, but would I be buying a lot of trouble?

What work would require doing on a regular basis, do they require a huge amount of work every year? I have plenty of internal storage space so annual wintering wouldn't be an issue, also doing any work wouldn't either, but what cost are involved? I know its like asking how long is a piece of string, but on average what would I be looking at spending on an oldish timber folk boat?

Breizh

Visit, or give this guy a call, he'll give good advice (no connection with me) http://folkboats.co.uk/about.html

 

[Amulet]

Amulet is not unlike a folkboat - but more than a ton heavier and with standing headroom below.

Wooden boats like this are a stable investment - you can buy one for £10k, spend £5k a year for five years getting her in shape, and be very confident that she's still worth £10k.

See http://flic.kr/s/aHsjmtgt2k about Amulet - she's a member of the family, and so we don't begrudge the cost.

 

[Romeo]

As to how often you need to paint her, this depends on:

1. What sort of a mooring you are on.
2. How good a job you do, using what quality of material.
3. How much you care about appearance.
4. What sort of weather your boat is exposed to.

I repaint my clinker built boat every year. She stays in a crowded harbour where fenders rub against the boats that are on either side, and as a result looks a bit tired at the end of the season, but always looks magnificent again once the effort is made in the spring.

A boat on a swinging mooring, somewhere with not too much sun, using good quality paint could probably be painted every second year.

Painting a boat yourself each year is a good exercise as it makes you look at the woodwork. If the paintbrush goes through the planking you know it is time to get the woodworking tools (or matches) out.

 

[Seajet]

Breizh,

please do not think I am being rude, I'm not; but the moment I saw this thread it struck me that if you're asking these questions, an old wooden cruiser is not for you.

There are lots of good GRP boats going for buttons at the moment.

 

[JomsViking]

Owning a wooden boat equals additional work. Owning an old wooden boat equals lots of additional work. Buying an old wooden boat not knowing the exact state guarantees plenty of additional work. Simples.

 

[Romeo]

Owning a wooden boat equals additional work.

I do not regard painting on the beach in the sunshine with pals coming along to chat or help out as "work". Work for me involves a suit and a computer screen.

Some folk think that time spent on maintenance would be time that would otherwise be spent on sailing. That is not my experience. If you come round to my house you will see that time spent on boat painting in the spring is time that I should be spending maintaining the garden! My observation locally is that wooden boats are used more often than plastic ones, perhaps because their owners have made a commitment towards them.

Wooden boats are not for everyone, but many of those who have them will have an attachment to their boat that no plastic owner can ever achieve. Very much each to their own.

 

[Seajet]

I get plenty of enjoyment working on my grp boat, and there's never a shortage of things to do !

Wooden boats are great as long as one is not simply suckered in by the romance, I've sailed some lovely wooden Folkboats, my point is that the OP doesn't seem to have the knowledge and skills required, and acquiring them would be a long and possibly painful process.

 

[Daydream believer]

He's referring to the Stella & Folkboat Association of Australia. They do things differently there.
I seem to remember that an early owner, Gilly Hedges, went to Australia and spread the gospel about Stellas in the 60s or 70s.
Dan [Stella32]

Photos of Gilly Hedges leaving party hung in the Crouch yacht club for years
A selection of cups he won had to be seen to be believed. He must have won just about everything going