Having had a couple of fiberglass sailboats in the past, but having been off
the water (sniff) for over a decade, I find myself toying with the idea of a
wood trawler. I like the idea of wood as a traditional material, as well
as knowing there will never be any of the "boat pox" problems now common
with tupperware boats.
HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Is there a good source of information about what it takes to keep a trawler
in the 32'-36' range afloat and healthy? Can one really find good,
experienced surveyors in So Cal who know wooden boats? What should a fellow
know to avoid stupid (and very expensive) mistakes??

Thanks,
Everett

HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Are you planning to build new?

Sounds like not, when asking about a surveyor.

If an older wooden boat has not been kept under cover, you'll *wish* you just
had "boat pox" to deal with. Freshwater, (as in rainwater) is particularly
destructive to a wooden boat.

Maintenance? You may spend more than you can possible imagine restoring an old
wooden boat to the point where "maintaining" becomes the operative word.

Biggest key, again, is whether the boat has been continuously stored under
cover.
There are some 50 year old wooden boats that have been kept in covered moorage
that are still in reasonable shape-

They need to sell to people who anticipate spending a lot of time on upkeep and
repair and who find that sort of activity fun and rewarding, rather than a
danged nuisance that just obstructs easy use of the boat.

After a while a wooden boat is like a wooden fence. The fence has been there
for 150 years- although the posts have been replaced 12 times and all the
planks
about the same. :-)

I would think that if maintenance avoidance is the issue then buying new and
selling before the maintenance intensive curve appears would be the
answer -- regardless of hull construction material.

Or, you could buy used and use the money saved to either have the yard fix
the "pox" (should it appear) or hire someone to maintain your wooden boat.

Or ... etcetera ad nauseum.

I have looked at boat ownership about a million different ways and from what
I can gather boats all cost the same. You just either pay it up front, pay
it on the back end, pay it in sweat or pay it by doing without.

I might be wrong but that is what I have observed thus far.


"Everett" wrote in message
...
Having had a couple of fiberglass sailboats in the past, but having been
off
the water (sniff) for over a decade, I find myself toying with the idea of
a
wood trawler. I like the idea of wood as a traditional material, as well
as knowing there will never be any of the "boat pox" problems now common
with tupperware boats.
HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Is there a good source of information about what it takes to keep a
trawler
in the 32'-36' range afloat and healthy? Can one really find good,
experienced surveyors in So Cal who know wooden boats? What should a
fellow
know to avoid stupid (and very expensive) mistakes??

Thanks,
Everett

I wrote something just like this below and then canned it. I started feeling
like I was being mean but really, you need lots of time and money for any
boat, but I imagine even more for a wooden boat.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA
www.kiene.com

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Are you planning to build new?

Sounds like not, when asking about a surveyor.

If an older wooden boat has not been kept under cover, you'll *wish* you
just
had "boat pox" to deal with. Freshwater, (as in rainwater) is particularly
destructive to a wooden boat.

Maintenance? You may spend more than you can possible imagine restoring an
old
wooden boat to the point where "maintaining" becomes the operative word.

Biggest key, again, is whether the boat has been continuously stored under
cover.
There are some 50 year old wooden boats that have been kept in covered
moorage
that are still in reasonable shape-

They need to sell to people who anticipate spending a lot of time on
upkeep and
repair and who find that sort of activity fun and rewarding, rather than a
danged nuisance that just obstructs easy use of the boat.

After a while a wooden boat is like a wooden fence. The fence has been
there
for 150 years- although the posts have been replaced 12 times and all the
planks
about the same. :-)

Get a copy of "Wooden Boat" magazine. Look at the last page. They often have
FREE wooden boats to be given to a caring owner.

Personally, I barely have time for USING and less and less for MAINTENANCE,
so a wooden boat wouldn't work for me. Reading "Wooden Boat" will give you a
full perspective though.

Hi Everett,

While the Initial self-survey of a wooden hull (plank on frame
construction) is IMHO easier, unless your capable AND willing to do
restorations yourself, fiberglass is the way to go. Otherwise, in most
cases, you WILL pay alot more to have a wooden boat repaired or
restored.

If yo can do this type of work, or obtain a wooden boat that does not need
this type of work, then maintenance will depend on how you wish to keep
the vessel. Here are two examples:

I had a 16' Lapstrake Catboat that I gave away, because I did not have the
time, and tools to keep her in the shape I felt she deserved. Every year
I took evey paint crack in the hull (from outside storing and mooring),
feathered it out primed the spots painted the spots and went over it again
with Kelly Green paint. Every year I sanded and urethaned the mast, boom
and gaff. Since I did not have the room at home, or the money to keep in
in a storage yard near water and power (meaning doing everything by hand,
and cleaning with a 55 gallon drum of water), and often had crummy spring
seasons (Cleveland, OH), I often didn't launched until late June.

However when I did launch, the hull looked beautiful, often drawing other
boaters uncomfotrably close to see what was most likely one of less than
10 catboats on Lake Erie. Even though she was completely stripped,
varnished, and repainted; her previous owner had no problems identifying
her from the Lorain Lighthouse he was restoring, as I sailed her every
season from her launching in Cleveland, 60 miles, to her Dock in
Sandusky. Sorry... Getting a little too nostalgic.

In comparison, my father owned a 1936 Wheeler 40'. He firmly believes the
maintenance on this vessel was no more difficult or time consuming than
his 30' Fiberglass Jersey. Then again, he just painted the hull every
year with minimal prep, and pained (Or stripped, I don't remember which.)
every bit of varnish off the exterior.

Not to mention he had a hard working wife and kid, to help hime, instead
of a crusty old fart telling him "how easy it was" after the fact :^)

Good Luck! Trawlers are indeed beautiful and practical boats, more so if
their built in that natural composite medium :^)

Bob Dimond


In article , "Everett"
wrote:

Having had a couple of fiberglass sailboats in the past, but having been off
the water (sniff) for over a decade, I find myself toying with the idea of a
wood trawler. I like the idea of wood as a traditional material, as well
as knowing there will never be any of the "boat pox" problems now common
with tupperware boats.
HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Is there a good source of information about what it takes to keep a trawler
in the 32'-36' range afloat and healthy? Can one really find good,
experienced surveyors in So Cal who know wooden boats? What should a fellow
know to avoid stupid (and very expensive) mistakes??

Thanks,
Everett

Thanks, great idea

"RG" wrote in message
...
Get a copy of "Wooden Boat" magazine. Look at the last page. They often
have
FREE wooden boats to be given to a caring owner.

Personally, I barely have time for USING and less and less for
MAINTENANCE,
so a wooden boat wouldn't work for me. Reading "Wooden Boat" will give you
a
full perspective though.

My friend's had a 32' Grand Banks trawler - I think it was made in 1968, for
about 10 years.
He said the windows had fallen out and were laying on the table when he
bought it, and it wasn't very pretty. But, the windows were the biggest job,
the rest ended up being labor intensive or cosmetic. Since then, it's been
painted and varnished when he gets around to it, which isn't that often. It
was just repainted and the white paint must have an epoxy in it: it almost
looks like fiberglass.
So much for wood boat maintenance.

"Bob D." wrote in message
...
Hi Everett,

While the Initial self-survey of a wooden hull (plank on frame
construction) is IMHO easier, unless your capable AND willing to do
restorations yourself, fiberglass is the way to go. Otherwise, in most
cases, you WILL pay alot more to have a wooden boat repaired or
restored.

If yo can do this type of work, or obtain a wooden boat that does not need
this type of work, then maintenance will depend on how you wish to keep
the vessel. Here are two examples:

I had a 16' Lapstrake Catboat that I gave away, because I did not have the
time, and tools to keep her in the shape I felt she deserved. Every year
I took evey paint crack in the hull (from outside storing and mooring),
feathered it out primed the spots painted the spots and went over it again
with Kelly Green paint. Every year I sanded and urethaned the mast, boom
and gaff. Since I did not have the room at home, or the money to keep in
in a storage yard near water and power (meaning doing everything by hand,
and cleaning with a 55 gallon drum of water), and often had crummy spring
seasons (Cleveland, OH), I often didn't launched until late June.

However when I did launch, the hull looked beautiful, often drawing other
boaters uncomfotrably close to see what was most likely one of less than
10 catboats on Lake Erie. Even though she was completely stripped,
varnished, and repainted; her previous owner had no problems identifying
her from the Lorain Lighthouse he was restoring, as I sailed her every
season from her launching in Cleveland, 60 miles, to her Dock in
Sandusky. Sorry... Getting a little too nostalgic.

In comparison, my father owned a 1936 Wheeler 40'. He firmly believes the
maintenance on this vessel was no more difficult or time consuming than
his 30' Fiberglass Jersey. Then again, he just painted the hull every
year with minimal prep, and pained (Or stripped, I don't remember which.)
every bit of varnish off the exterior.

Not to mention he had a hard working wife and kid, to help hime, instead
of a crusty old fart telling him "how easy it was" after the fact :^)

Good Luck! Trawlers are indeed beautiful and practical boats, more so if
their built in that natural composite medium :^)

Bob Dimond


In article , "Everett"
wrote:

Having had a couple of fiberglass sailboats in the past, but having been
off
the water (sniff) for over a decade, I find myself toying with the idea
of a
wood trawler. I like the idea of wood as a traditional material, as
well
as knowing there will never be any of the "boat pox" problems now common
with tupperware boats.
HOWEVER:

The idea of maintenance scares me

Is there a good source of information about what it takes to keep a
trawler
in the 32'-36' range afloat and healthy? Can one really find good,
experienced surveyors in So Cal who know wooden boats? What should a
fellow
know to avoid stupid (and very expensive) mistakes??

Thanks,
Everett

Yes some of the more recent developments in epoxies make some maintanence
easier . But if the boat has rot in the planks or frams it can be a
labor intensive or expensive process, if you can even find a local yard to
take on the job.

Even the construction methods (eg clincher vs carvel planking) can have an
impact on maintanence requirements.

BTW - How much did he pay for his project???


In article zynmb.34038$Rd4.31393@fed1read07, "Bill Andersen"
wrote:

My friend's had a 32' Grand Banks trawler - I think it was made in 1968, for
about 10 years.
He said the windows had fallen out and were laying on the table when he
bought it, and it wasn't very pretty. But, the windows were the biggest job,
the rest ended up being labor intensive or cosmetic. Since then, it's been
painted and varnished when he gets around to it, which isn't that often. It
was just repainted and the white paint must have an epoxy in it: it almost
looks like fiberglass.
So much for wood boat maintenance.

Don't know how much he paid for it, just that it the hull and diesel engine
were in good shape. The biggest job was redoing the window frames;
everything else was a matter of cleaning, replacing hardwa hours of
labor, few dollars.
In the two years I've known him, the only work he's had done was cleaning
the fuel injectors and painting the boat.

"Bob D." wrote in message
...
Yes some of the more recent developments in epoxies make some maintanence
easier . But if the boat has rot in the planks or frams it can be a
labor intensive or expensive process, if you can even find a local yard to
take on the job.

Even the construction methods (eg clincher vs carvel planking) can have an
impact on maintanence requirements.

BTW - How much did he pay for his project???


In article zynmb.34038$Rd4.31393@fed1read07, "Bill Andersen"
wrote:

My friend's had a 32' Grand Banks trawler - I think it was made in 1968,
for
about 10 years.
He said the windows had fallen out and were laying on the table when he
bought it, and it wasn't very pretty. But, the windows were the biggest
job,
the rest ended up being labor intensive or cosmetic. Since then, it's
been
painted and varnished when he gets around to it, which isn't that often.
It
was just repainted and the white paint must have an epoxy in it: it
almost
looks like fiberglass.
So much for wood boat maintenance.