wooden boat maintenance

Hi i may be getting a wooden moth but i was wondering what maintenance does a wooden boat require?

No and well, maybe yes...

The main thing about a wood boat is you have to keep right on top of the maintenance. If you do, and especially if you make sure the boat is always properly covered and dry, and preferably kept indoors out of frost and snow over the winter, then a wood boat will last indefinitely - more so than a fibreglass boat I think. And what's more the actual amount of work need not be that great provided you do everything that needs doing just as soon as it needs it.

But if you don't keep up with the maintenance - keeping her covered properly *all* the time, touching up the varnish if there are scratches, dealing with any little cracks that collect water, and especially if you let water accumulate in the boat and worst of all freeze, then a wood boat can turn from first class condition to wreck surprisingly quickly.

Personally I think you really need undercover storage if you have a wood boat, if for no other reason than if a maintenance job does come up and you are too busy to deal with it then you can put the boat in there and out of the weather while you get round to it.

Edited by JimC - 09 Jan 12 at 8:13am

and from here Tim you move over to cvrda.org, home of woodie lovers everywhere and the natural habitat of experts like Jim and Peter.  We have a great band of moth enthusiasts too!