With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders still
use wood in the construction of their boats? From a layman's point of view,
it seems ludicrous to do so given that wood rots when exposed to water.


s

stealth wrote:

With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders still
use wood in the construction of their boats? From a layman's point of view,
it seems ludicrous to do so given that wood rots when exposed to water.

If you have to ask ...

Rick

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 11:41:36 -0500, stealth wrote:

With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders still
use wood in the construction of their boats? From a layman's point of view,
it seems ludicrous to do so given that wood rots when exposed to water.

s

I know this sounds flip, but if you have to ask, you won't understand.
Many folks consider wood beautiful and like the feel and finish. For that
matter, why is there still so much brightwork? Mahogany lasts just fine
under paint, yet people varnish it which greatly increases maintenance.
The answer is they do it because they love the wood.

And, for the record, teak is a very low maintenance wood even with nothing
applied. I once owned a 38 foot Hubert Johnson. It was a beauty, built
out of solid woods (no plywood) lapstrake construction, monel fittings, but
we kept it painted to hold down maintenance. Today, I suppose that craft
would be made of fiberglass. Oh well...
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders still
use wood in the construction of their boats?

You get different characteristics depending on the material you select. There
is no perfect, flawless, material.

It's also tough to say "wood boat" and imply sort of a one-size-fits-all
concept.
Are we talking plywood, either sheathed or stitch and glue? Traditional plank
on frame? Cold molded? Even wood boat fans will argue bitterly about the
competing merits of various wood boat technologies.

Among the reasons people choose for wooden boats:

Quieter, warmer, hull. A more "solid" sensation.

Easier for many do-it-yourselfers to build, or assist in building.

Fewer environmental concerns with construction, use, and eventual disposal (the
initial harvest of trees notwithstanding).

When a boat is a one-off custom build, it is often less expensive to use wood
than to go through the process of creating a mold for a FRP hull.

As far as wood "rotting" when it is exposed to water, it's not as simple as
that. Sal****er actually preserves wood. Freshwater, (including rainwater)
promotes
the fungi that consume wood. Properly cared for, stored under cover, a wooden
boat can last for decades before major structural repairs are required.

Finally, a wooden boat is very repairable.
When a hull fails on a glass boat, it's likely due to a condition that effects
huge areas of the vessel. Wood boat owners aren't surprised to discover they
need to replace one or two planks during a routine haulout of an older wooden
boat- and do so without a lot of drama or catastrophic expense.

After a few decades, most wood boats will need to be "refastened", with new
screws installed to hold the planks to the frames.
This is a labor intensive job that doesn't require advanced journeyman level
skills, and many wood boat owners put aside a number of weekends to accomplish
the task without hiring help.

Wood boats are renewable. Sort of like the story of George Washington's axe. It
seems that somebody found the axe that Washington used to chop down the cherry
tree.....the handle had been replaced seven times over the years and it was on
its third blade, but by golly it was still the same axe. :-)

He might be asking about the use of wood in fiberglass boats, rather than
wood boats. Commonly the use of plywood for floors, transoms, and interior
pieces. As to the why, it's because plywood is cheap.

"Larry" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 11:41:36 -0500, stealth wrote:

With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders
still
use wood in the construction of their boats? From a layman's point of
view,
it seems ludicrous to do so given that wood rots when exposed to water.

s

I know this sounds flip, but if you have to ask, you won't understand.
Many folks consider wood beautiful and like the feel and finish. For that
matter, why is there still so much brightwork? Mahogany lasts just fine
under paint, yet people varnish it which greatly increases maintenance.
The answer is they do it because they love the wood.

And, for the record, teak is a very low maintenance wood even with nothing
applied. I once owned a 38 foot Hubert Johnson. It was a beauty, built
out of solid woods (no plywood) lapstrake construction, monel fittings,
but
we kept it painted to hold down maintenance. Today, I suppose that craft
would be made of fiberglass. Oh well...
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders
still
use wood in the construction of their boats?

You get different characteristics depending on the material you select.
There
is no perfect, flawless, material.

It's also tough to say "wood boat" and imply sort of a one-size-fits-all
concept.
Are we talking plywood, either sheathed or stitch and glue? Traditional
plank
on frame? Cold molded? Even wood boat fans will argue bitterly about the
competing merits of various wood boat technologies.

Among the reasons people choose for wooden boats:

Quieter, warmer, hull. A more "solid" sensation.

Easier for many do-it-yourselfers to build, or assist in building.

Fewer environmental concerns with construction, use, and eventual disposal
(the
initial harvest of trees notwithstanding).

When a boat is a one-off custom build, it is often less expensive to use
wood
than to go through the process of creating a mold for a FRP hull.

As far as wood "rotting" when it is exposed to water, it's not as simple
as
that. Sal****er actually preserves wood. Freshwater, (including rainwater)
promotes
the fungi that consume wood. Properly cared for, stored under cover, a
wooden
boat can last for decades before major structural repairs are required.

Finally, a wooden boat is very repairable.
When a hull fails on a glass boat, it's likely due to a condition that
effects
huge areas of the vessel. Wood boat owners aren't surprised to discover
they
need to replace one or two planks during a routine haulout of an older
wooden
boat- and do so without a lot of drama or catastrophic expense.

After a few decades, most wood boats will need to be "refastened", with
new
screws installed to hold the planks to the frames.
This is a labor intensive job that doesn't require advanced journeyman
level
skills, and many wood boat owners put aside a number of weekends to
accomplish
the task without hiring help.

Wood boats are renewable. Sort of like the story of George Washington's
axe. It
seems that somebody found the axe that Washington used to chop down the
cherry
tree.....the handle had been replaced seven times over the years and it
was on
its third blade, but by golly it was still the same axe. :-)





I think the question is not why wooden boats, but why is wood still used in
GRP boats. Wood is one of the stronger materials for weight and does not
break like a lot of material under small flexing. Can be cheaper, and as
long as fresh water does not get to the wood, it lasts very well.
Bill

"Rick" wrote in message
hlink.net...
stealth wrote:

With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders
still
use wood in the construction of their boats? From a layman's point of
view,
it seems ludicrous to do so given that wood rots when exposed to water.

If you have to ask ...

Rick


He did ask! What is your answer? Why is wood used in modern boats made
with fiberglass?

Cheap is the operative word. As to water not getting to it? It will spend
some portion of it's life sitting in water and probably most of it's life
outside. Properly laid up fiberglass would outlive a lot of us, the plywood
in the floor and transom will be long gone.

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
link.net...

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders
still
use wood in the construction of their boats?

You get different characteristics depending on the material you select.
There
is no perfect, flawless, material.

It's also tough to say "wood boat" and imply sort of a one-size-fits-all
concept.
Are we talking plywood, either sheathed or stitch and glue? Traditional
plank
on frame? Cold molded? Even wood boat fans will argue bitterly about the
competing merits of various wood boat technologies.

Among the reasons people choose for wooden boats:

Quieter, warmer, hull. A more "solid" sensation.

Easier for many do-it-yourselfers to build, or assist in building.

Fewer environmental concerns with construction, use, and eventual
disposal
(the
initial harvest of trees notwithstanding).

When a boat is a one-off custom build, it is often less expensive to use
wood
than to go through the process of creating a mold for a FRP hull.

As far as wood "rotting" when it is exposed to water, it's not as simple
as
that. Sal****er actually preserves wood. Freshwater, (including
rainwater)
promotes
the fungi that consume wood. Properly cared for, stored under cover, a
wooden
boat can last for decades before major structural repairs are required.

Finally, a wooden boat is very repairable.
When a hull fails on a glass boat, it's likely due to a condition that
effects
huge areas of the vessel. Wood boat owners aren't surprised to discover
they
need to replace one or two planks during a routine haulout of an older
wooden
boat- and do so without a lot of drama or catastrophic expense.

After a few decades, most wood boats will need to be "refastened", with
new
screws installed to hold the planks to the frames.
This is a labor intensive job that doesn't require advanced journeyman
level
skills, and many wood boat owners put aside a number of weekends to
accomplish
the task without hiring help.

Wood boats are renewable. Sort of like the story of George Washington's
axe. It
seems that somebody found the axe that Washington used to chop down the
cherry
tree.....the handle had been replaced seven times over the years and it
was on
its third blade, but by golly it was still the same axe. :-)





I think the question is not why wooden boats, but why is wood still used
in
GRP boats. Wood is one of the stronger materials for weight and does not
break like a lot of material under small flexing. Can be cheaper, and as
long as fresh water does not get to the wood, it lasts very well.
Bill

He might be asking about the use of wood in fiberglass boats, rather than
wood boats. Commonly the use of plywood for floors, transoms, and interior
pieces. As to the why, it's because plywood is cheap.



Cheaper. Lighter. More easily fabricated.
Can be the best choice in certain applications regardless of cost savings., but
in most cases it is a matter of building a boat that the public can afford to
buy.

Like our cars, homes, and other possessions- every manufacturer knows of ways
to make any product "better", but if the difference ultimately results in a
near-perfect product that 1 or 2 percent of the population could ever
contemplate affording or an extremely serviceable product available to a far
greater number of folks, there are a number of factors to consider.

The good news is, buyers who want a boat built without a sliver of wood in the
hull can find them. In some cases, they will be more expensive. In others,
(such as welded aluminum), they will not be more expensive but may have other
issues to deal with beyond potential wood rot.

Actually, expensive boats use wood in structural members, where cost is not
the object. A 100% fiberglass transom, would probably be a lot thicker than
a cored transom, to get the same ability to handle the stress from a motor.
The non-wood transoms, such as a Davis Rock Harbor are still cored with
another material.
Bill

"Lawrence James" wrote in message
link.net...
Cheap is the operative word. As to water not getting to it? It will
spend
some portion of it's life sitting in water and probably most of it's life
outside. Properly laid up fiberglass would outlive a lot of us, the
plywood
in the floor and transom will be long gone.

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
link.net...

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
With today's technology and available materials, why do boat builders
still
use wood in the construction of their boats?

You get different characteristics depending on the material you
select.
There
is no perfect, flawless, material.

It's also tough to say "wood boat" and imply sort of a
one-size-fits-all
concept.
Are we talking plywood, either sheathed or stitch and glue?
Traditional
plank
on frame? Cold molded? Even wood boat fans will argue bitterly about
the
competing merits of various wood boat technologies.

Among the reasons people choose for wooden boats:

Quieter, warmer, hull. A more "solid" sensation.

Easier for many do-it-yourselfers to build, or assist in building.

Fewer environmental concerns with construction, use, and eventual
disposal
(the
initial harvest of trees notwithstanding).

When a boat is a one-off custom build, it is often less expensive to
use
wood
than to go through the process of creating a mold for a FRP hull.

As far as wood "rotting" when it is exposed to water, it's not as
simple
as
that. Sal****er actually preserves wood. Freshwater, (including
rainwater)
promotes
the fungi that consume wood. Properly cared for, stored under cover, a
wooden
boat can last for decades before major structural repairs are
required.

Finally, a wooden boat is very repairable.
When a hull fails on a glass boat, it's likely due to a condition that
effects
huge areas of the vessel. Wood boat owners aren't surprised to
discover
they
need to replace one or two planks during a routine haulout of an older
wooden
boat- and do so without a lot of drama or catastrophic expense.

After a few decades, most wood boats will need to be "refastened",
with
new
screws installed to hold the planks to the frames.
This is a labor intensive job that doesn't require advanced journeyman
level
skills, and many wood boat owners put aside a number of weekends to
accomplish
the task without hiring help.

Wood boats are renewable. Sort of like the story of George
Washington's
axe. It
seems that somebody found the axe that Washington used to chop down
the
cherry
tree.....the handle had been replaced seven times over the years and
it
was on
its third blade, but by golly it was still the same axe. :-)





I think the question is not why wooden boats, but why is wood still used
in
GRP boats. Wood is one of the stronger materials for weight and does
not
break like a lot of material under small flexing. Can be cheaper, and
as
long as fresh water does not get to the wood, it lasts very well.
Bill