Another thought is that you did not say how the boat was planked.
"custom-built wood runabout" could mean a variety of things.
Is the boat of lapstrake construction? If it is and the wood is is good
shape, why fiberglass? Covering the lap ridges with glass would be
difficult.

I have seen some old mahogany runabouts that had a double layer of thin
planking with canvas in between.
The canvas rots and the boat leaks. Probably better to fiberglass
over the outer hull in this case.

Some are batten seam construction. The planks do not shrink apart very
much with this type and if in good shape....why fiberglass?

If you have a regular carvel planked hull, with caulked seams, then
you will periodically need to recaulk but you won't have to do this
every year. A coat of maintenance varnish every year and some bottom
paint touch up might go a long way.
I think some people who have boats like this tend to trailer them
and not use them very much and then wonder why they leak when they put
them in the water. This type of boat benefits from being kept in the
water and not being allowed to really dry out when hauled in the winter.

One final thought. Once you commit to fiberglassing the boat, whether
you use epoxy or polyester, you make it much more difficult to replace
a plank that becomes damaged or rotten. The nice thing about a carvel
planked boat is you can take it apart (in theory) and replace damaged
pieces and keep the boat going a long long time.

If your primary concern is ease of maintenance, buy a plastic boat.
But then that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it?


WCD wrote:
I'm considering buying a 19' 50's era custom-built wood runabout. I'm
also considering putting fiberglass onto the hull to get it into the
water sooner and to keep the maintenance down.

Any suggestions? The boat has been out of the water for a few years, so
the wood is pretty dry. The hull is in pretty good shape, so I'm not
covering up a pack of problems. I'm thinking of doing the work myself;
it looks like something I could handle and I have the space in my shop.

Thanks for any advice.