Jim Woodward wrote:

I wouldn't begin to make suggestions --you've done a lot of work, but one
thing leapt off the page -- that you're leaning away from a boat because of
exterior wood and the maintenance it would require.

There is a solution -- paint it white with a good two part urethane. Of
course, before you do that, you'll want to put on a couple of coats of a
compatible varnish so the paint doesn't get into the wood and can be removed
(more or less easily) when you go to sell the boat. The paint will last for
years with little maintenance.

In the days of wood boats, this was more common -- people got tired of
maintaining varnish but wanted to leave options open on resale. I've both
put on and removed paint from varnished wood without real problems. Bare
wood is, of course, a different matter.


This is an excellent suggestion and one that my husband and I are
considering with our Baba 30. Of course, right now the britework
is freshly done and looking beautiful which makes painting it
seem like a crime. Well, as long as we keep the covers on at the
dock...

We were out yesterday and came upon a HC33. As is usually the
case when two boats of this type meet there was much eyeing and
comparing. It was clear that the HC was much larger than the
Baba, but we still feel that our boat fits us better.

We also saw a Bristol Channel Cutter. Too small for us, but very
pretty.

Cindy