Wood in the Tropics

[Guest]

Hi,

Basically, I'm writing with a query which hopefully someone can shed some light on.

About 6 months ago, I returned form sailing a wooden boat through the tropics to Panama. (Named 'Amadis' for those in the Woodbridge/Mersea area.)

Before we left the UK however, we were told countless horror stories regarding taking a wooden boat into the tropics- from the basic (planks could dry out in the heat- they did, but soon swelled up again) to the down right scary (the toredo worm will eat the boat away from under your feet- not sure yet)

So my question is which is the best type of wood for the tropics? ( I guess hard woods are a good starting point?) 'Amadis' was built of Jarrah upto about 3 planks above the waterline, and then Queensland Maple for the rest of the topsides.

I've heard, and have seen with my own eyes, that pine planked yachts suffer in the warmer climes, but does this include pitch pine vessels, and indeed what does 'pitch pine' mean?

I fail to see that the tropics should be a no-go for ANY wooden boats, after all they were almost all wooden in the Hiscocks era? But we saw very, very few in our time there.

Essentially in a couple of years, when I find myself ready to buy my own live-aboard, more than anything I want it to be wooden, GRP leaves just a little cold, you can't really love a plastic boat, like you can a timber one.

Sorry about the multiple questions, but if people can only help out with a couple, I will be extremely grateful!

thanks,

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Mirelle]

I recall Amadis very well. Glad to hear news of her.

Two friends of mine who have spent the past 12 years pottering from Hawaii to Cape Town via everywhere aboard a 31ft Percy Dalton ketch say that one boat in ten that they meet is wooden, and needless to say you find a more interesting sort of person aboard...(but then, we are all biassed).

Tropical hardwoods which are dimensionally stable are usually preferred. Pitch pine would be a less than ideal choice - it is durable but it moves all over the place. Teak and iroko are both excellent. And paint it white!

 

[Guest]

Hi Mirelle,

Good to hear from you, thought you may remember Amadis! Thanks for the scrapers all that time ago, made our life much easier.

She's currently in the Bay of Islands, I believe going through a mini-refit, before heading back up to the South Pacific Islands at the start of the season.

I guess maybe where we were, there were less timber yachts, or maybe just a quiet season?

After leaving Amadis, I crewed for a month on a 47' GRP Cheoy Lee, and I'll always remember the different responses you'd get from other boaty types as well as locals, sailing in to a harbour in a wooden boat, theres nothing quite like it!

However, I'm now a diagnosed addict, and much to the chagrin of my parents, I'm counting down the days before I can be off on the water again!

Best wishes,

Paul

 

[Peterduck]

If you regard your antifouling as a protection against teredo and gribble you should be able to negotiate the tropics without too much going wrong. Jarrah is a wonderful timber - dimensionally very stable, straight grained, and easy to work. Some timbers, such as Huon Pine and Teak are actually unattractive to marine pests due to natural oils within the wood.
Peter.