Wooden boat lament…….

[rotrax]

I would feel much happier buying a wooden boat than a grp one with double skin sandwich construction with windows stuck on

Just an observation Wandsy - it appears to me that you spend an inordinate amount of time justifying NOT buying a boat.

As I posted recently about getting money out of me, this analogy can be switched to your boat buying efforts :-

"Getting Wandsy to buy a boat is like trying to poke butter up a porcupines arse with a red hot knitting needle!"

I think, as others have suggested, you are in love with the idea of owning a boat. Unfortunately, you are a permanent fixture on these pages where you can find a myriad of reasons not to treat yourself to a boat.

Be brave, make the jump-it is not as bad as you think.................................

 

[Wansworth]

There's the solution! Buy some nail-sick old cutter and put it in your garden!

Alternatively, you could use all that scrap timber in your shed to knock up a facsimile of a traditional wooden boat's saloon inside your shed, and spend your weekends in there.




In which case a big overlapping genoa and small main (see your other thread) will be no problem.

Just an observation Wandsy - it appears to me that you spend an inordinate amount of time justifying NOT buying a boat.

As I posted recently about getting money out of me, this analogy can be switched to your boat buying efforts :-

"Getting Wandsy to buy a boat is like trying to poke butter up a porcupines arse with a red hot knitting needle!"

I think, as others have suggested, you are in love with the idea of owning a boat. Unfortunately, you are a permanent fixture on these pages where you can find a myriad of reasons not to treat yourself to a boat.

Be brave, make the jump-it is not as bad as you think.................................

Yes….tettering on the edge

 

[justanothersailboat]

Wansworth, your excuses do seem to be getting a bit tenuous now. The solution to an overly large genoa is to buy a smaller jib, and you are not likely to buy large glued hull windows in the price and age range you're looking at, so stop worrying and join us... join us... join us...

 

[Tazio]

Wooden boats are lovely to sail and to spend time aboard completely different to GRP and personally I would never own a plastic one ….however unless you have the time and skills or the nessarry deep pockets then they are probably best avoided …
On the plus side of plastic without them probably there would be few marina facilities and I suspect sailing would be a preserve of the wealthy or skilled .
Each to his own ….

 

[Wansworth]

Wooden boats are lovely to sail and to spend time aboard completely different to GRP and personally I would never own a plastic one ….however unless you have the time and skills or the nessarry deep pockets then they are probably best avoided …
On the plus side of plastic without them probably there would be few marina facilities and I suspect sailing would be a preserve of the wealthy or skilled .
Each to his own ….

I agree with the latter part but looking after a wooden boat is being exaggerated……unless it’s a tally Ho rebuild

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I agree with the latter part but looking after a wooden boat is being exaggerated……unless it’s a tally Ho rebuild

The problem with that is that there are not many new wooden boats or nearly new for that matter where you can start with a clean sheet or boat and not have to deal with the ravages of 50 or more years of weather and several owners bodges that would be the case of buying a wooden boat from the 50s or 60s unless you were lucky enough to buy from someone like Fisherman or Poignard providing they sold before the boat became too much and a liability for them before the decision to sell was made. A couple of years of neglect could easily see such a boat become a major piece of work.

 

[Wansworth]

The problem with that is that there are not many new wooden boats or nearly new for that matter where you can start with a clean sheet or boat and not have to deal with the ravages of 50 or more years of weather and several owners bodges that would be the case of buying a wooden boat from the 50s or 60s unless you were lucky enough to buy from someone like Fisherman or Poignard providing they sold before the boat became too much and a liability for them before the decision to sell was made. A couple of years of neglect could easily see such a boat become a major piece of work.

I agree I had in mind boats like Pongnards,a wooden boat that needed attention not a wreak….butthe impression given is that it’s wood omg it’s going to fall apart……a certain amount of skill above just buffing the polish off

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I agree I had in mind boats like Pongnards,a wooden boat that needed attention not a wreak….butthe impression given is that it’s wood omg it’s going to fall apart

Even when buying a well found boat as mentioned the maintenance to ensure it remains well found is far greater than that of a GRP boat which going by a number of posts on here is more than many can comfortably manage So a wooden boat is for the enthusiast or the well heeled and certainly not for the new and budding sailor with a family unless he is a joiner / carpenter living close to the yacht with time to spare in the off season and has masochistic tendencies.

 

[Tazio]

Yes but wooden boats like old houses need a rolling maintenance programe and as long as work is kept on top of and sensible options such as summer covers are used then yes it is all manageable as said I would not entertain plastic however for the general public who just want to sail it is a good option …. Yes there are new wooden boats but they entertain a mighty price and of course it could be argued that due to timber supplies unless built with large amounts of ply or expensive long grown timber the materials will always be inferior to boats built when supplies of good long grown timber were available!

 

[srm]

Wooden boats are lovely to sail and to spend time aboard completely different to GRP and personally I would never own a plastic one ….however unless you have the time and skills or the nessarry deep pockets then they are probably best avoided …
On the plus side of plastic without them probably there would be few marina facilities and I suspect sailing would be a preserve of the wealthy or skilled .
Each to his own ….

My last boat was something of a compromise, to the extent that I have been asked if she was built of wood.
GRP hull and deck mouldings with a custom fit for extended cruising. Included internal insulation with wood facing plus wood trim on outside. Warm and dry with no condensation inside, but not too hot in the sun.

 

[Wansworth]

Even when buying a well found boat as mentioned the maintenance to ensure it remains well found is far greater than that of a GRP boat which going by a number of posts on here is more than many can comfortably manage So a wooden boat is for the enthusiast or the well heeled and certainly not for the new and budding sailor with a family unless he is a joiner / carpenter living close to the yacht with time to spare in the off season and has masochistic tendencies.

But…….he or she might discover a new world and group of friends still clinging to the wreaks of their tore out Hillyardsand countless hours overcups of tea discussing the merits of DouglasFiror Spruce for the mast

 

[Fr J Hackett]

But…….he or she might discover a new world and group of friends still clinging to the wreaks of their tore out Hillyardsand countless hours overcups of tea discussing the merits of DouglasFiror Spruce for the mast

And a whole new world and meaning of pain and despair

 

[Wansworth]

And a whole new world and meaning of pain and despair

 

[Tazio]

And a whole new world and meaning of pain and despair

Gosh get a grip !…

 

[Wansworth]

Gosh get a grip !…

He gets carried away

 

[Fr J Hackett]

He gets carried away

I am a realist and a competent woodworker and speak from a personal perspective and the overview of the general questions asked on these forums that with all due respect wouldn't fill me with confidence for the majority of people setting out on boat ownership or even some established owners. I certainly whilst I could have and still could do the work wouldn't want it and I guess that most wouldn't if they knew what it entailed.

 

[Wansworth]

I was poking fun

 

[Tazio]

So was I but I agree with your sentiments Mr Hackett

 

[Sumara of Weymouth]

I have a varnished wooden boat and the trick is consistency. You need to varnish everything (yes including the mast) EVERY year. It takes me three weeks including antifouling and re-rigging. BUT let it go for a year, and you are asking for trouble. That said, I use traditional single pot varnish. If I were to try Awlwood, or such like, then the maintenance period could maybe be stretched.

 

[jamie N]

@Sumara of Weymouth, where do you do your 3 weeks a year maintenance? On the Black Isle, I'd 5 days from September & March where I might've been able to approach working on the hull. To enable that work, I'd have had to either put her in a barn, or a enclosing tarpaulin, with a cost and, in my case a severe restriction due to the wind and rain we are exposed to on the Inverness Firth. This then means that I've 'now' 4 weeks work to do, before launching to get a brief good period of sailing.
For myself, I now prefer sailing. When I bought the boat, I bought into the whole thing, and that working on the boat was part of the joy of the ownership. Now I don't, nor can I see anyone coming along wanting the same experience: why would you?