Giving it all up for plastic?

[katie777]

We have lived aboard a 36ft classic wooden motorboat for a few years. We have looked after her quite well but I now feel that the work and worry of wood is perhaps just not for me (although I love the look bad feel of a wooden boat as well as the sense of history). I am considering grp for an easier life or perhaps steel if that really is less work than wood?
I guess I am posting here as I would like to hear the cons for this plan (apart from the fact that plastic boats lack the beauty etc. of wood).
What, in your opinion, are the other reasons for sticking to wood? Any advice appreciated.

 

[PhillM]

Having talked to many plastic owners, who all tell me my boat is beautiful but they couldn't possibly do all that work, I've come to the conclusion that no, they probably couldn't. But then all the work I'm doing is satisfying and relaxing. Grp boats still bed work but working on a grp boat doesn't seem to be anything like as much fun as working on a wooden one.

So yes grp boats are less work - but the work itself is less fun. Seems to me I'm best doing more work but work that is fun and satisfying.

Reminds me of the old joke about not drinking, you don't live any longer, it just feels like you do

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

I used to think of it as a labour of love ........... I paid somebody else to do the labour and I gave it the love!

 

[Wansworth]

Its all down to quality.A well built and maintained wooden boat should present very little extra work than a grip one.There are countless stories of leaking laid decks on plastic boats that are difficult to cure.Topside after a while need polishing or repainting if a yacht finish is needed.The upside of grip is if you don't have time for looking after it it just gets scruffy where as a wooden boat could present problems with fastening and caulking.If you are an older person I would go for a quality plastic boat without fancy laid decks and don't anguish too much over the state of the topside.Having had a steel boat I would say little rust streaks are the order of the day.Again good quality and proper insulation and ventilation and if possible avoid wood on steel.

 

[jamie N]

We have lived aboard a 36ft classic wooden motorboat for a few years. We have looked after her quite well but I now feel that the work and worry of wood is perhaps just not for me (although I love the look bad feel of a wooden boat as well as the sense of history). I am considering grp for an easier life or perhaps steel if that really is less work than wood?
I guess I am posting here as I would like to hear the cons for this plan (apart from the fact that plastic boats lack the beauty etc. of wood).
What, in your opinion, are the other reasons for sticking to wood? Any advice appreciated.

I see that you've experienced the wood thing for a few years and think (possibly) that the plastics greener on the other side, but isn't the work involved with maintaining a wooden boat part of the experience?

 

[Eyore]

In over 40 years of yacht as opposed to dinghy ownership I have owned in this order wood,wood,GRP,steel,GRP and wood. Now the last wooden boat has just been sold to be replaced with the final "see me out" boat, a Westerly Tempest in GRP. As mentioned above, a well built and maintained wooden boat is really not difficult to maintain, its when things get out of hand through neglect, or where you buy a boat that has been let go, that the issues start.
The simple reason why we decided to go back to fiberglass if simply that there is no 31ft wooden yacht that I know of at our budget that could possibly tick all the boxes that we require and offer the same layout and accommodation. There is however no doubt that you simply can't beat timber for the character ,ambience,looks and pride of ownership that it confers.

 

[BoatShowAvenue]

There will always be the need of working on your boat, all boats must be maintained and this maintenance is different for every kind of boat, wooden boats need to have a owner capable of handling this hard job, if you are not willing to do it then grp are a great choice for you.

 

[Woodlouse]

I used to think of it as a labour of love ........... I paid somebody else to do the labour and I gave it the love!

I've always thought that if I had a quid for every time someone had commented on my 'labour of love' I'd be able to pay someone to do all the bloody work for me.

 

[PhillM]

I've always thought that if I had a quid for every time someone had commented on my 'labour of love' I'd be able to pay someone to do all the bloody work for me.

+1 Love it

 

[Niander]

Im not too fussed about the brightwork or id be screwed
just don't have the time

 

[mtb]

I have a plastic thing now and wont go back
do it plastic feels like your twenty years old with out a care in the world compared to wood. Wood needs love affection time and devotion all of which your sposed to give err indoors

 

[PhillM]

I have a plastic thing now and wont go back
do it plastic feels like your twenty years old with out a care in the world compared to wood. Wood needs love affection time and devotion all of which your sposed to give err indoors

err in doors bourght me my wooden, I guess she wanted the love and affection stuff spread around a bit

 

[Jcorstorphine]

I remember years ago, one of my neighbours in the boatyard had a little wooden Debutante 21 yacht. He started scraping and painting in February under a tarpaulin in really dreadful weather and he was still at it in April.

One Sunday, a couple of guys came down to work on their Leisure 17 which was laid up beside the Debutante. The Leisure looked pretty tatty as it had been laid up for a couple of years so had the green gunge on the decks and coachroof.

Armed with a couple of buckets, soapy water and a bit of elbow grease, the Leisure was transformed in a matter of hours and during this time I could not help but notice the owner of the Debutante casting an eye on them from time to time.

Next time I saw the owner of the Debutant, he had a nice new GRP Snapdragon 21.

I have had two wooden boat over the years, a 26 ft Lifeboat and a 4 ton Arden Four. Since then I have had three GRP boats and I cannot see me ever going back but I do drool over a beautiful varnished yacht.

 

[wrr]

The maintenance argument applies to new plastic boats but as hulls age, maintenance of grp can become a chore. I can fill the odd scratch and paint a wooden hull faster than one can polish a GRP hull and a paintbrush weighs far less than a rotary polisher. Deck paint and antislip may be needed by either GRP or wood every 5 years or so. Antifouling takes exactly the same time, irrespective of the substrate. So that leaves the brightwork, which is best done on a mooring during the summer, avoiding the various particulates and pressure washer droplets in the boatyard air. On average, I would say that the difference amounts to 3-4 days per year when I compare my 50+ year-old wooden boat to a 20 year old GRP boat.

 

[Mad Pad]

Wrr,don't know what planet you are on but the day will come with the 50' wooden boat when you have to replace the covering board for instance.So you think that's not to bad,but after removing it discover most of the ends of the frames and deck beams are rotten......which involves removing part of the deck...and on it goes...etc etc.
So £50k(if you are lucky) later will it all be worth it?

 

[Woodlouse]

Wrr,don't know what planet you are on but the day will come with the 50' wooden boat when you have to replace the covering board for instance.So you think that's not to bad,but after removing it discover most of the ends of the frames and deck beams are rotten......which involves removing part of the deck...and on it goes...etc etc.
So £50k(if you are lucky) later will it all be worth it?

Fortunately for some people it is worth it. If everyone looked at the most financially sensible approach to owning a boat then no one would buy one in the first place regardless of what it was made of.

 

[Mad Pad]

Yes it was worth it!

 

[Woodlouse]

Yes it was worth it!View attachment 47586

Good show!

 

[pyrojames]

I had a surveyor look at CdG for insurance a couple of years back. He started down below and by the the time he came back on deck we had the bulwarks and covering board off one side. He was a bit surprised, but glad to see the frames an deck beam ends were sound!

It was all worth it.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I had a surveyor look at CdG for insurance a couple of years back. He started down below and by the the time he came back on deck we had the bulwarks and covering board off one side. He was a bit surprised, but glad to see the frames an deck beam ends were sound!

It was all worth it.

You have the added advantage though James that CdG is drop dead gorgeous!