Wooden Hull..do they like water?

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gary3029

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I am buying a boat with a wooden hull. I was concerned about wintering, but I have been advised wooden hull boats are best left in water unless brought out for for maintenence. Therefore will it be ok to leave boat in water and only remove for checking/repair
regards
gary
 
They prefer to be in the water, only out for maintenace, repairs, survey, antifoul etc. Leave them in, fibreglass, opposite to previous!
 
Like so many questions, the answer to this one is 'depends'.
What follows are my views and I have no doubt there will be plenty who disagree.
It depends on the wood: Mahogany planking in salt water is, almost, impervious to rot. In fresh water it's not worth a damn; so if your a lake sailor, haul her out over the winter.
It depends on your winters: Saturated timbers and very low temperatures = ice & damage to the wood. That's why I think you'll find Scandinavian boats hauled out over the winter.
It depends on where you sail: A mud berth up some creek in SE England would be preferable to an exposed mooring on the NW of Scotland. A mud berth is probably the best place to winter a wooden boat. Soft, squishy and wet it will both support the boat and keep her planking tight.
Mooring or pontoon berth? On a mooring your boat will swing and will receive an equal dose of sunshine to port and starboard. Her seams and paint job therefore will be equally affected. On a pontoon, one side or the other will be adversely affected more than the other. There is also the probability of physical damage in the winter gales if she rolls her gunwale under the edge of the pontoon, not to mention fender scuffs.
 
Thanks for quick response....suppose that saves money for a trailer!! The boat I am looking at is a Buchanan Spartan in what appears good condition. Being a novice to boating I plan to get a survey...can anyone recommend someone in the cornwall area who does surveys? What is a rough idea of a cost of a survey.
regards
 
£250 sounds about right. As to surveyor, David Cox is good (numbers in the yellow pages). Also David Edwards is very good, number in book again.
 
Good answer.

In general, in Britain, I would prefer to have a wooden boat ashore between say November and April, preferably in a yard that deals mainly with wooden boats. She will not dry out excessively, the corrosion of metal parts of course slows down and she is much easier to work on.

I used to keep my boat in a mud berth over the winter and now I keep her ashore for the winter - the latter is better, but there is not an awful lot in it.

Far more important is the question of the winter cover - you REALLY MUST have a good quality winter cover. The thing that destroys most wooden boats is winter rain water and frost.
 
Not, I trust, about the winter cover?

In Scandinavia or elsewhere where it really freezes in winter I agree with Mariposa - best ashore and carefully covered, with no timber saturated.

In temperate places like Britain I really think there is nothing it it save for convenience, although I have noticed that my boat has lost a good ton of displacement since I started wintering her ashore - the planking has not visibly shrunk at all and she makes no water on going back in, but I guess that the moisture content of the centreline and underwater planking has dropped from around 90%, after 30 years continually afloat, to around 40%. Shrinkage would perhaps start at 20% or less.

In hot climates like the Med - better afloat, I agree.
 
Re: Not, I trust, about the winter cover?

No, definitely not a winter cover, alfoat or ashore it is a wonderful thing!!! I use mine all the time, snugged up in winter, even in the meddy and as a sun awning over the boat in the summer, even when at anchor, acts as a giant wind scoop, makes life considerably more comfortable!!
 
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