Is wood good?

[Jay Eaton]

Wood is good, but ,,,

I like the look of exterior teak trim, emphasis on the trim. But it is great if it is removable, to be refinished as an off-season project. Interior wood is a must; otherwise, the boat is a plastic bottle. It takes a little loving care; protect the sole and maintain the bulkheads and other interior woods.

 

[Gerald Niffenegger]

Wood is great

Wood is great!! I am a wood worker and in this neck of the woods we have lots of woods to choose from. However, Keep the wood below deck out of the sun.

 

[Larry Hinken]

work no play

No wood is best ...I like to work with wood but I do not like to see the sun tear it up..Wood maintence takes away from the sailing enjoyment and sailing time...It look good but sail boats are for sailing and wood is for working...Larry Hinken

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners]

The varnish snob votes for wood!

Love it!

 

[Bill Doyle - S/V Calico Dragon]

Balance

Like everything in life, its all about balance. Enough wood to appreciate the what nature has to share but enough fiberglass to enjoy all that sailing has to offer. Balance, yes that's the answer.Bill

 

[Brian Blevins]

Plastic is for hulls,Wood is for trim

I love my wood but would rather be sailing so a litle wood goes a long way,but must be varnished........however an old wooden hull is beautiful.

 

[Bob Pearce]

Wood is Good

The right amount of wood adds personality and class to a boat!

 

[hobie18]

Have both - rate of usage is a good measure

I currently own an all wood Jet 14 (antique mahogany plywood hull circa 1950-1955) and an all glass (hobie 18M). The wood boat's been dry over 20 years in repair while the 1985 glass machine remaims usable with minimal maintenace. I'd never part with the wood boat - but I like sailing more than the intensive maintenance.

 

[Adam Pierce]

NO WOOD IS GOOD!!!

If it's not necessary for efficient sailing I don't want it on the boat. Wood is definitely not necessary and it is a lot of work.

 

[Cathy Alcorn]

A little wood is a good thing

I tend to like a little wood especially in the cockpit area. Our Wauquiez Gladiateur has teak slats and grating on the cockpit seats and floor. I find the teak more comfortable and forgiving for sitting or standing over a long sail, it's warmer, less slick than textured fiberglass and finally raised wood trim helps keep various body parts out of the water that inevitably gets into the cockpit area under sail or in weather. We don't spend time sanding or varnishing. We are keeping our teak scrubbed and are letting it gracefully gray. It's an okay look for the type of wood trim that we have and is much better than peeling varnish or hastily applied teak oil. While I admire the beauty of a well kept wood boat, it seems like it would be too demanding for those of us that have minimum time for such projects and for those that would rather sail than sand. For those that take the time and care to keep your wooden boats in ship-shape, my hat is certainly off to you.Cathy AlcornS/V Andante

 

[Charles]

A Marriage made in Heaven

I recall the days of all wood boats and the work involved. So, yes some glass is much appreciated but, the warmth of wood on a new boat today only accents your fine taste. It is the perfect marriage of beauty and functionality. Boats are built to be pretty and there is nothing pretty about a plastic tub floating around the water. It lacks character. I believe the little extra effort to maintain a fine finish on your vessel is time well spent. That special feeling of pride you get when other folks admire her beauty makes it all so well worth it. Charlie

 

[MARK A. GENEVA]

ID' LOVE A WOODIE

I WOOD LOVE ALL WOODEN BOAT.BUT LIKE MOST OF US TIME IS NOT AVAILABLE.I HAVE A 1967 MARINER WITH WOOD FLOOR & RAILS THAT I SPENT ALOT OF OFF SEASON TIME ON.THEY REALLY LOOK GREAT AND I GET A LOT OF COMPLIMENTS,BUT IF I HAD A ALL WOOD BOAT I DON'T THINK I COULD KEEP IT UP.I'VE HAD PEOPLE OFFER ME ALL WOODEN BOATS,BUT I JUST DON'T HAVETHE TIME. HAPPY IN HAWKIN MARK GENEVA.

 

[Milton]

I hate varnishing

We purchased a Catalina C-400MKII last year and love it. There is absolutely no wood on the outside to maintain. The wood below looks good and is not exposed to the elements and therefore will last for a very long time if properly cared for because I HATE TO PAINT. I think the manufacturers have finall caught on, people want enjoy their boats not work on them.

 

[Kayce Davis]

pros&cons lets hear them

I am going to build a boat and this discussionis interesting to me. I myself have asked the question; wood or fiberglass. any input you have at all would be appreicated.Kayce_davis@hotmail.com

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Exterior wood trim is beautiful and classy

And can easily be maintained with Cetol or Armada. Interior wood looks rich and requires almost no maitenance. No wood is fine for those who think boats should closely resemble refrigerators, inside and out.

 

[Steve Dion]

Nothing easy about Cetol.

I see nothing easy about Cetol. If you do it properly it needs about the same amout of preperation as Varnish. Three coats are minimum and more is better. When it goes south on you, you still need to sand it and start over. The only saving grace for Cetol is the fact that it DOES last longer and it is easier to touch up in between.I haven't ever seen a boat that looks much like refrigerator or vise versa. Give me gelcoat and stainless (you can throw in a couple of pounds of PlasTeak as required).

 

[Bob Howie]

PlasTeak???

Growing up on the Miss. Gulf Coast, essentially a place with two economies -- shrimping/fishing and tourism -- as well as right next door to a boat yard and having been a member of the Slave Galley that kept a converted wooden shrimper in "sportfish" livery, I can tell you that, in my opinion, wooden boats are nothing more than a bonfire looking for a beach and wood trim is nothing more than kindling for the pyre!! And, the reason they put it all over high-tech yachts is because the folks who own those things can actually PAY someone to keep it all up for them! On my pier, a number of fellow boat owners sit around debating each other's varnishing skills and I ask, "To what end? Is it not better to be out actually sailing the boat than doing brightwork? Yea, I say!!"Ok, so my 78h30 has wooden hand rails and some wood below, but I am NOT a purist who thinks the only way to treat it is to put 40 coats of Schooner 96 on top of it so I can strip it off in a year or two and redo it! Feed it to the termites, I say, and install stainless topside! Down below, strip it down, paint it with a good Interlux two-part precatalyzed epoxy and forget it!! Boats are made to be sailed, not slaved over and what makes America great is that if a person likes to varnish wood that's been jumbled up into a shape resembling a boat, then, more power to them. Besides somebody needs to stay back at the dock and make sure the beer stays cold!!As to Plas-Teak, hmmmm...from my military days that reminds me of something that once used to go over with a big bang at parties! Somebody pass me the coco-rum and pineapple juice; I'll gladly trade a badger-hair brush and a quart of Schooner 96 for a tumbler full!!

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

If you ignore ANYthing till it "goes south"...

it'll definitely be a pain. And that also includes gelcoat. Yes, the first application--IF you want the best results--is just as much work as varnishing. But so is anything worth doing--prep is 90% of a good job. But after that it gets very easy: once a year (twice in tropical climates) LIGHTLY "sand" with fine bronze wool and apply another coat. No buildup...no cracking or peeling...no major sanding and multiple coats. I used it on 2 boats for more than 10 years...I'd never use anything else, nor would I ever want a boat that had no wood.

 

[David Guthridge]

Family's old Chris Crafts

I so well recall the beauty of my dad's 1952 31' Chris Craft Express Cruiser he bought in '54 when I was eight. Twin engines and he ran it two speeds, stop and gooooo! She was 100% solid mahogany. The transom just gleamed and the white sides were like porceline. The cabin sides were polished to a high gloss as were the decks in the cockpit. You never saw so much chrome to be polished either. The wheel and the dashboard were coated with at least six coats of varnish. Of course as a kid I was the one who kept up all that mahogany and it was a job but I loved doing it and the "Hollyday" out of Alexandria, Va. was known up and down the Potomac as the boat to beat. He had other mahogany boats later on to include a 1962 35' Chris Craft and a 1968 44' Pacemaker all mahogany. They were beautiful but the old 31' was the best! You don't see boats like that any more. Sadly, all my boats have been plastic but I always have some mahogany or teak with a little varnish just to remind me.

 

[Pete Seymour]

Wood, it really does not work.

I have a 1984 Catalina 30 in which I maticulously refinish the exterior teak every six mmoths I use Cetol. Does it look nice? Yes, is it a pain? Yes. The teak and the teak plywood below deck never is a problem. I clean it and place teak oil on it every couple of years. But I think the exterior wood needs to go on new boats. It doesn't look any better than well maintained stainless and fiberglass and it certainly is not a better, more durable product.Pete