Don W wrote:

In order to make them easier to maintain, some wooden boat owners cover
the outside of the hull with a fairly thin layer of fiberglass to keep
the water and critters away. There are many workboats that have been
treated in this way.

Thanks for that, Don. My very first foray into wooden boat maintenance
was to buy a 1950's GP14 sailing dinghy last summer. On telling an
expert it had been sheathed in glass fibre, his response was "it's a
write-off". He said the only reason you'd sheath a wooden boat in glass
is if the rot has gone beyond repair and you want to eek a couple more
seasons out of it.

Also, I thought glass would prevent the wood from expanding and lead to
it busting itself apart? It seems like such an easy solution, but I've
read that it's death to a wooden boat.

If a wood boat is what you want, I'd say go ahead and get one. You'll
know within a few years whether it is still what you want ;-)

My worst scenario is getting a loan to pay for the boat, being unable to
fund the ongoing repairs and maintenance and landing up with nowhere to
live. Quite a lot riding on the risk, you might think!!