I have infected my parents!

[DogStar]

They have definitely caught the bug. My mum had been thinking about living on a boat for years but became very ill a few years ago. Realising that she would never recover 100% she thought that it might have been a bit much to deal with - all the dutch barges they had been looking at were quite difficult to move around on. So she pretty much gave up on the plan.

I'm glad to say that, thanks to some fantastic medical care and cast-iron resolve, Mum has made a better recovery than anybody expected. So, a couple of years later, when I bought my boat, she enjoyed being on board so much that her and the old man hatched a plot.

They have reached an agreement with the owner of a beautiful wooden Grand Banks 42 to buy as soon as their house in North London sells. The boat is ideal for the pair of them, I think, with a glowing survey and an engine room maintained by the owners mercruiser-engineer son.

Yes, I'm green as grass with envy, as they will be able to actually enjoy the time on their boat without the nagging awareness that there are loads of jobs that need doing.

So thats another two converts! I think my ex-wife kind of fancies the idea too, if she could figure out a way for me to pay for her boat!

<hr width=100% size=1>I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!

 

[pc_eye]

As they are getting older I would strongly recommend that they seriously consider a fibreglass boat as they are far less hard work to keep in service. The amount of effort and grueling hard work needed to maintain a wooden boat can be totally out of order. It takes up far more time and when wood rots you are more than likely to be in trouble. I'm not just talking here, I have been there and I have a fiberglass boat now and it's so easy to maintain by comparison.
I'm definately not trying to put them off their plan to get afloat. I think it is a splendid idea but I would like to see them happy enjoying their adventure.

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[DogStar]

I own an 80 odd year old wooden boat myself. I have had to do a fair amount of painting, replacing rotten ply on the superstructure, and so on. The boat my parents have agreed to buy has no rotten wood anywhere on it, and won't have for a good 30-40 years hopefully, having just had the flybridge replaced with Lloyds grade ply last summer.

I fail to see where all the extra maintenance comes in, myself. I see people on yoghurt pots- sorry, fibreglass boats - spending hours cleaning and polishing, whereas painted wood needs a quick wash when dirty, and a yearly sand and re-coat. The bare teak needs oiling once a year... and thats it. Its easier to work with than GRP, too, as far as repairs are concerned. You just can't keep a wooden boat out of the water for as long.

No, I'm afraid GRP was never really an option.

<hr width=100% size=1>I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!

 

[LittleShip]

Gerry,
As an owner of a Grand Banks Woodie let me first say that they are extremely well built yachts, which don’t suffer from the same problems as most other wooden boats. That said they do need good maintenance to keep them up to scratch.
There are many sites and lots of information available for surveying boats and I would advise a good survey be carried out before purchase.
The web site for GBs of this age is
www.gbwoodies.com
This will give you all the advice that you will ever need to run and maintain a “Woodie” and you will be able to register the boat on the site.
Many people have opinions about wooden boats, some good, some bad and I won’t get involved with the pros or cons of these. I personally give wood my vote. Remember that there is plenty of wood on fiberglass boats that can rot as well, if not properly maintained, and that is the main point, maintenance??
One of the expert on these boats who is a regular forum member of the woodies site is Bob Lowe, he has written some good comparisons between wood and plastic and you will find the information on the site.
If you would like further information email me
Tom
PS. Manufacturers use fiberglass to build boats because it's cheaper and less labour intensive for them!


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I wish I'd been born rich instead of good looking ?

 

[Guest]

Good for them and well done to you for infecting them! So what if there is maintenance. Its all part of the fun of owning a boat in whichever material. Its just more fun doing it with wood.

All the best

Vincent (owner of wooden boat <smiley face> )


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[DogStar]

Thanks for that!

As the person who will be doing all the maintenance for them that website should come in handy!

I think the maintenance issue comes down to expectation. What does someone consider to be"alot" or "too much" maintenance. You wouldn't live in a house with wooden sash windows and not expect to have to paint them every year or so to stop rot. If you don't want to do that you get double glazed things in alli frames. Its the same with boats. If you'd rather be washing and polishing than painting, get a fibreglass boat.

I actually enjoy doing something outside rather than sitting in a deck chair (my boat is definitely the perfect match for me!) and I'm not very good at just sitting around. If there wasn't as much maintenance to do I'd use a hell of a lot more diesel!

<hr width=100% size=1>I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!

 

[LittleShip]

Gerry the one point that always comes up in discussion about GBs is the fuel tanks?? have them checked out it's a pig of a job to install new ones, trust me I know.

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I wish I'd been born rich instead of good looking ?

 

[DogStar]

Thanks, once again. Fortunately, the boat had a full survey in December. It has five fuel tanks, one of which is brand new, and one which the owner doesn't use because he feels it is not up to scratch. Although the surveyor thought it passed muster. I think they are considering turning this fuel tank into a holding tank for one of the heads. I can only imagine the nightmare replacing those buggers!

Just found this bit in one of the articles.... and no I don't have much work to do on fridays...

"Wait a minute. Wood gets old, it cracks, it rots, it needs paint and varnish. It takes expert skills to repair and paint a wooden boat, an if a boat is 30 years old its engine is probably shot. Wood boats can smell of mold and mildew, and diesel fuel that has impregnated bilge planks.

All true.

On the other hand, advocates say wood boats are quieter and that wood offers excellent insulation. And, in an argument from the heart, they say that wood is real, organic, and living, not muck from the bottom of a chemist's vat.

True, too.

Most problems occur because a boat has been neglected, because it has not been painted and bedded, because window leaks have not been fixed, because its mechanical systems have not been upgraded and babied, because it has been ignored.

Doesn't mean it's a bad boat.

It does take more skill to paint a wood boat than to clean and polish fiberglass. However, once a wood boat has a tightly clinging coat of paint, once the hardware and deck fittings have been bedded, once corrosion control has been reestablished, and once the engine room has been brought up to snuff, most of the problems that can damage a woodie have been brought under control."


<hr width=100% size=1>I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy! <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by DogStar on 06/08/2004 14:31 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[supermalc]

People also laugh at me when I say I got a wooden boat to 'cut the workload'. I've had an 18ft Norman cruiser for 2 years....which I polished the hull while it was still out of the water. 2 years on it all needed doing again.

I've just helped (slightly) to antifoul (with black bitumin) a wooden clinker that has sat in the marina for (an estimated) 20 years...it took one afternoon.

My boat (see website) has so far had a mop down twice this year, and still looks one of the cleanest.

I doubt my circumstances will allow me to keep it for too long, but I expect far less work now I have got it 'shipshape' for my little use on this river. I do already use it though, and have so far travelled an estimated 250 to 300 miles.

I was told (and this is only hearsay) that the main reason for changing to GRP was simply the cost of production of wooden boats.

It would be a fool who did not expect some continual maintenance on any old boat/car/aeroplane/house.

<hr width=100% size=1>Malcolm.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://geocities.com/malcsworld/>http://geocities.com/malcsworld/</A>
Take a look at my boating pages.