"John Cairns" wrote
Don't know how he came about the conclusion, but I remember reading an
article a while back about the owner of a wooden boat, he claimed that it
was no more work maintenance-wise, than fiberglass. I still find this
difficult to believe.


Depends on what's included in the maintenance list, and what
kind of shape the fiberglass boat is maintained in.


Maxprop wrote:
Wooden boat fanatics are just that: fanatics. They love wood & boats, and
when combined . . .


For many, it does have aspects of a cult.


That said, there is no way in hell that a boat with a wood hull and/or deck
will require no more maintenance than a similar glass boat. He probably had
an older wooden boat he wanted to sell. :-)


If you're talking about a wooden boat that is sound, and
maintained efficiently in decent working shape, and don't
include long-term things like ripping the seams &
refastening, then it is no more work than to maintain a
fiberglass boat of similar size & style in high-gloss
yachtie condition.

I generally say that maintaining a wooden boat is 10% more
work than fiberglass, and having owned several of each, feel
confident this can backed with figures. The difference is
that the wooden boat will have certain labor & skill
intensive things done to it every ten years or so, by which
time you will probably have sold it to somebody else.

The biggest difference between fiberglass and wood is the
consequence of neglect. If you neglect a fiberglass boat,
you have a mess to clean up. If you neglect a wooden boat,
you have mulch.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King