Ruminations on a GB 42...
 

On Dec 15, 8:55*am, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
How much work is involved in maintaining a wooden GB 42?

This boat was gorgeous - I mean drop dead gorgeous.

I'm not a surveyor by any stretch, but I couldn't find anything wrong
on viewing the boat. *Bilges were exceptionally clean, the engine room
sparkled, the boat itself being wood - well, even up close the paint
was flawless. *The teak was bright and looked oiled rather than
varnished. *All the window frames were intact and showed no signs of
leaking, I didn't find any dead spots on the deck or bridge -
anywhere. *Apparently the current owner is into wood working too as
there were several personal touches that were just incredible.

I am in love with this boat. *The only problem is I'm not at all sure
I can maintain it at this level.

What to do - what to do.

"Apparently the current owner is into wood working......"

Are you?

The best guy to own a wooden boat is the guy who will enjoy learning or
applying the unique skills required to keep it in shape. Consider, for
example, that you will from time to time be replacing a couple of
planks on that hull. (IIRC, they were sheathed in mahogany when new).
If you can cut, shape, maybe bend, fasten, and caulk your own plank- it
will probably cost you $100 or so for the materials and an enjoyable
day of fiddling around. If you can't do your own plank, it will
probably cost you $200 for a marked up plank and $1000 to have it
installed.

If the brightwork is oiled, but not varnished, you will be spending a
bunch of time keeping it up.
Oil is a dirt magnet, and just doesn't endure like varnish. It goes on
faster, but needs to go on a lot more often. A proper prep for an oil
job is as extensive as a proper prep for varnish.

So how much work is involved in keeping a 40 year old GB in bristol
condition? Maybe the best answer is that there will be a *lot* of time
involved. If you don't enjoy the time you spend on the upkeep it will
indeed be "work". If you enjoy the time spent on upkeep, then the
answer is that there will be very little work of any kind.

Do you have a way to keep the boat under cover, out of the rain, etc? I
wouldn't suggest owning a wooden boat that can't be kept in a boathouse
or at least under a weatherproof canopy.

Ruminations on a GB 42...
 

Several years ago, I had a 1964 ChrisCraft Cavalier 27 foot wood hull.
It was a fine looking boat when I got it.

I had a slip rented on Carlyle lake where it sat for 9 months, and I'd
take it out about every weekend, or when ever I got the chance. It had
been taken care of I would say, reasonably well, but for the previous
10 years it had been in a large warehouse in storage. It ran great, and
was a lot of fun, but after sitting in the hot sun and letting the rain
get to it, I noticed a lot of spungy wood where the deck met the hull.
Working at trying to preserve it was like playing one of thos gopher
games where they keep popping out of holes, and you try to smack them.
Then by the end of the second year the starboard hull started to
delaminate up in the bow. I really didn't give much for the boat, and
had a lot of fun with it, but after the second year, it really started
decaying fast! it's now sitting behind my dad's barn looking like
something off the beach of Gilligan's Island. Oh, if I was nuts about
having a wood working hobby, I would have kept it up, but having
neither the time, availability of marine wood products, not the main
tools for doing such, I gave up on the project.

No, I'm not a wooden hull fan.



Chuck Gould wrote:
On Dec 15, 8:55 am, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
How much work is involved in maintaining a wooden GB 42?

This boat was gorgeous - I mean drop dead gorgeous.

I'm not a surveyor by any stretch, but I couldn't find anything wrong
on viewing the boat. Bilges were exceptionally clean, the engine room
sparkled, the boat itself being wood - well, even up close the paint
was flawless. The teak was bright and looked oiled rather than
varnished. All the window frames were intact and showed no signs of
leaking, I didn't find any dead spots on the deck or bridge -
anywhere. Apparently the current owner is into wood working too as
there were several personal touches that were just incredible.

I am in love with this boat. The only problem is I'm not at all sure
I can maintain it at this level.

What to do - what to do.

"Apparently the current owner is into wood working......"

Are you?

The best guy to own a wooden boat is the guy who will enjoy learning or
applying the unique skills required to keep it in shape. Consider, for
example, that you will from time to time be replacing a couple of
planks on that hull. (IIRC, they were sheathed in mahogany when new).
If you can cut, shape, maybe bend, fasten, and caulk your own plank- it
will probably cost you $100 or so for the materials and an enjoyable
day of fiddling around. If you can't do your own plank, it will
probably cost you $200 for a marked up plank and $1000 to have it
installed.

If the brightwork is oiled, but not varnished, you will be spending a
bunch of time keeping it up.
Oil is a dirt magnet, and just doesn't endure like varnish. It goes on
faster, but needs to go on a lot more often. A proper prep for an oil
job is as extensive as a proper prep for varnish.

So how much work is involved in keeping a 40 year old GB in bristol
condition? Maybe the best answer is that there will be a *lot* of time
involved. If you don't enjoy the time you spend on the upkeep it will
indeed be "work". If you enjoy the time spent on upkeep, then the
answer is that there will be very little work of any kind.

Do you have a way to keep the boat under cover, out of the rain, etc? I
wouldn't suggest owning a wooden boat that can't be kept in a boathouse
or at least under a weatherproof canopy.

Ruminations on a GB 42...
 

On 15-Dec-2006, "Chuck Gould" wrote:

Consider, for
example, that you will from time to time be replacing a couple of
planks on that hull. (IIRC, they were sheathed in mahogany when new).
If you can cut, shape, maybe bend, fasten, and caulk your own plank- it
will probably cost you $100 or so for the materials and an enjoyable
day of fiddling around. If you can't do your own plank, it will
probably cost you $200 for a marked up plank and $1000 to have it
installed.

If THAT is necessary on a woodie Grand Banks you bought a greatly abused
junker.

Ruminations on a GB 42...
 

The difference between a Grand Banks Woodie and a Christ Craft (and I LIKE
Chris-Crafts.....preferably pre-1960) is like the difference between the
Space Shuttle and a balsam model airplane.