Wooden boats, nice looking, BUT how are they?

[dino_dino]

Hi all

I was at a marina today, looking for a power boat, when I did se a Comitti and a Fraucher boat, wooden.

They sure look great, classic style, nice.
But, how are the quality on them?
How is a wooden boat to own?
LOTS of work to keep it nice, shiny and taking care of the wood?
Or not?

Thanks for looking

 

[Carols]

Wooden boats

We owned an old Chris Craft wooden boat, it was a lot of work to maintain and always smelt musty

We now own a fiberglass one, its so much better and less work, but I guess it depends on your circumstances some owners love the maintenance that goes with a wooden boat?

 

[nonitoo]

Used to sail my father's McGruer built yacht up the west coast of Scotland in the sixties.

Beautiful varnished yacht that required continuous maintenance EVERY weekend from lift out in October until relaunch in May.

Was it worth it - for the first three weeks, yes - but for the rest of the year it looked the same as the previous year.

Every year hull needed sanding back and two coats of varnish, mast and boom the same. Antifoul needed removal every three years to ensure wooden hull was in good condition before reapplication. Deck housing required extensive sanding/removal of varnish if any blackening then up to five coats of fresh varnish.

Huge amount of work - thank goodness for GRP nowadays.

Tom

 

[dino_dino]

HEhehhe, I understand. LOTS and LOTS of work......well some like it, thats for sure.

But, wow, these two boats, power boats, classic speed boats or what one may want to call them, they look sooooooo cool.

Thanks for the info

 

[Searush]

Ask Tom, on Littleship, a very pretty Grand Banks style trawler yacht. Looks the dogs danglies, even with the dogs aboard.

 

[Philiz]

I expect Littleship (Tom) to enter stage left at any moment to give you the low-down on living with an oversize orange box

 

[Divemaster1]

Nice boats you are looking at .... New ones ??

Very different from a "Classic" wooden boats....

So first:

1) New or Old ?
2) Where are you boating ?
3) What kind of boating would you do...

Coastal and Sea is different from lakes and day boating is different from overnights...

On the new ones, like the one above, I'd worry more about surface damage to the wood in a marina, unless well fendered off, than the maintenance part....

 

[dino_dino]

Hi all

well, I am looking at a 1-2-3 year old boat.
It will be used on a lake, for day trips, no overnights. Well, maybe one or two, but not the main use.

I am/will be cruising around, day trips for relaxing. Stop and swim and take sun bath.

Yes, they NEED good fenders, and lots of them, to take care of them in the marina.

They are two very different boats, one classic and one not.
I was not looking for a wooden power boat, just happened to se them in the marina, and wooow, they look so great. The Comitti is the best looking, so cool. But, how is the quality on the work?

Thanks

 

[Tresner]

I have two wooden boats, a 1946 36' Chris Craft and a 1970 32' Grand Banks. I find them to we warmer and less prone to "sweating" and dampness. They have always felt more stable in sea conditions. As for maintenance, I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US and have similar weather to the UK and have found that keeping the boats in a boathouse or with a canvas cover will reduce your upkeep to that of a glass boat. Remember, they need to be polished to keep them looking bristol.

One other thing; with most wooden boats, you will never be mistaken for a "hot tub", although I understand Littleship is too often mistaken for a large drinks cabinet.

 

[LittleShip]

and always smelt musty That's not because it was wooden unless it was leaking.

Like Bernie above I have a GB32 and all I can say is there are wood boats and wood boats.

The biggest problem maintenance wise is keeping the rain out, which means all trims must be sealed and checked. If you want to walk away from a boat in the Autumn and then start again in the Spring buy plastic.

Plastic is not maintenance free it needs lots of care to keep it looking good, just like Wood boats do. I can sand and paint my hull in a weekend, about the same amount of time it takes to polish the plastic ones.

Plastic needs polishing every year, wood needs painting about every 4-5 years.

Damage is much easier to repair with wood boats, I had some severe damage in 2008 which I could not have sorted had it been plastic, I'll supply you with a photo if you want to see it but you should be able to find it on the forum.

As Bernie said wood boats feel different and warmer, they dont sweat as much as plastic and seem to be more forgiving in a sea way, but I am biased.

If you are seriously thinking of buying wood talk to people that own or have owned one for some time, don't be mislead by sooth sayers who wouldn't know one end of a wood boat from a pigs Ar##

Take somebody along who knows that model of boat to check it over.

There are some very knowledgeable guys over on the Classic site who may be able to help.

Everything else on the boat is the same no matter what material it's made of.

Dont forget that many people actually like working on their boats, especially their wooden boats. It isn't always seen as a curse.

Last point they seem to have a larger drinks cabinet than plastic ones but they are also very difficult to keep full.

Tom

PS One final point..... you get a lot more for your money with a wood boat if you buy well, mine will sell for half the cost of plastic one of a similar vintage, but, in my eyes and many others she is a much better vessel.

 

[dino_dino]

Wooden boats???No way, just for old people....Well, that was my idea just 2 days ago.

Now? Oh, a wooden boats is nice, something I am now thinking o getting me.

I was/am seeking for a power boat for use at the lake, when I did se these two wooden boats at the marina, they was so shiny, so nice. Classic and yet modern look.

I have so far just been a plastic boat user, but now I am not so sure, what my next one will be...

I have no friends with wooden boats, so it s hard to get help that way, but I will ask round in the classic site, and hope sme can help me.

The ida of having to do some work, taking care of her, is not bad, something looking these goods, needs love and care.

Thanks for helping

 

[ash12]

I had a 50ft canteiri for 10 years. She was brilliant at sea, fast and stable, she didn't sweat and was a lot cooler in the summer as well as warmer in the winter. I know own a plastic broom which is worse at sea, colder, sweats and doesn't look as good. I kept her tip top condition and won a few prizes with her. Just make sure you cover it up in the winter, put a dehumidifier in there and keep it well ventilated at all times.
Brilliant boats if you are prepared to put the work in, if you look after them they will look after you!

 

[AndieMac]

The sort of wooden boat you are/could be considering, being late model, factory built to high quality standards, will be fine.
As has been previously mentioned, most folks have issues with the external coatings of choice, particuarly varnish with its relatively short life-span in direct sunlight.
Perhaps more suited to a time when mega-busy lifestyles where not the norm, but the products visual result on timber cabin sides are indeed a thing of great beauty. Clip-on covers will certainly help prolong the service-able life of this product.

 

[fergie_mac66]

HEhehhe, I understand. LOTS and LOTS of work......well some like it, thats for sure.

But, wow, these two boats, power boats, classic speed boats or what one may want to call them, they look sooooooo cool.

Thanks for the info

Or lots and lots of money to pay for the work to be done .

 

[AndieMac]

I had a 50ft canteiri for 10 years. She was brilliant at sea, fast and stable, she didn't sweat and was a lot cooler in the summer as well as warmer in the winter. I know own a plastic broom which is worse at sea, colder, sweats and doesn't look as good. I kept her tip top condition and won a few prizes with her. Just make sure you cover it up in the winter, put a dehumidifier in there and keep it well ventilated at all times.
Brilliant boats if you are prepared to put the work in, if you look after them they will look after you!

I spent time on an Alaskan 50, with a strip planked mahogany hull, which was spray painted and so fair, in fact fairer than most equivalent sized GRP hulls (mould blemishes). With twin 135 h.p. John Deeres, she was a great sea boat, and as Littleship mentioned, half the price of equivalent GRP.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

some of these newer (wooden) sports boats are actually fiberglass
I would consider the Colombo 32 Romance which is GRP with wood glued on it. Yes you still have to vernish the boat once every five years if you cover it well, but thats the only extra maintenance you will have...
the very nice Comitti is a full wooden boat
you can also look at some traditional Gozzo or Lobster style if you desire less speed and more comfort like Aprea for the Gozzo, and Rose Island for a lobster or the US build Hinckley if you want to pay more...

hi Ash what Cantieri you had? All Italians have this infact, which mean Builder

 

[ash12]

I spent time on an Alaskan 50, with a strip planked mahogany hull, which was spray painted and so fair, in fact fairer than most equivalent sized GRP hulls (mould blemishes). With twin 135 h.p. John Deeres, she was a great sea boat, and as Littleship mentioned, half the price of equivalent GRP.

Yes i loved mine and was a lot cheaper! she went 20knts and had 300Hp 2stroke GM diesels in.

hi Ash what Cantieri you had? All Italians have this infact, which mean Builder

Di pisa, Website here that has some interesting history on them. She was like the 1st,2nd and 3rd picture along.

 

[ash12]

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

yes thats a Pisa Polaris, wonderful boat and very seakindly

those Pisa always created timeless boats that have something unique about them like yours, or the Pegasus series and following this the newer Akhirs which have been over four decades in the making...
very expensive though

 

[AndieMac]

Nice boat Ash......