Wood Boats

[xrated]

Anyone have knowledge about old wood boats? Have some old old row boats sitting around that I would love to get floating this year and I am looking for any advice I can get.

[eleeski]

I lived on an old 30' wooden boat for a while. Better than living in a Datsun roadster in the snow country - but just barely.

I still have it but it it is yours free if you tow it away from the desert.

My cousin builds wooden aircraft wings - but all his clients are crazier than he is.

Fiberglass rocks! I'm not sure if this has been helpful...

Eric

[6balls]

My neighbor has 2 and really likes restoring sailboats. He hoped that the wood boats would absorb enough water to swell the wood and self seal but no luck. He eventually glassed and painted them. They look really cool as the inside is still the original wood all refinished and the outside is painted glass. A little heavier, but lots more seaworthy.

[JamesW]

Depends on how they are built. There are lots of ways to build a timber boat including; lapstrake/clinker (overlaping boards), carvell (edge butted boards) and ply sheet on a frame.

 

If you get your mates rowing quick enough to ski, the wake is likely to be fairly sharp. Fitting PP Stargazer to them could also be expensive.

 

Fiberglass over wood is not good if not built this way from new, especially after a bit of time when the moisture gets between the glass and wood and rots the whole show out!

 

This lot will be a good help especially for timber row/sail boat help http://www.woodworkforums.com/f29/

 

My ski boat is timber frame with ply wood skin, it floats but dose take more work to maintain than plastic!

[xrated]

. There are two boats, I'm thinking the white and red one on top. Near as I can tell from stories, these boats are at least 70 years old and hand built. http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/bdoescher/McGregor%202011/IMG_1680.jpg

[dbski]

There is nothing cooler than a wood runabout. I've skied behind a 66 Century with a Ford 427 in it, not the greatest wake but it didn't lack for power! Old wood boats can take alot of work to get back in the water. Check the bottom planks or plywwod and the frames for rot. If you can do the work yourself its not to bad but can be very expensive to have done. In addition to my decorative skis I also build boats, I show my latest build as a ski boat from the 50-60's complete with the required ski belt, one of my wood skis and copies of the Water Skier from the 50's.

[ral]

Alberto Soares, one baller from Brazil, did a FANTASTIC job on a wooden ski boat. I think the most beautiful ski boat I have seen. He should be able to give some tips.

[xrated]

Thanks guys. As you can see I won't be attempting anything as nice as a runabout. Just a little rowboat with family history behind it.

[dthate]

Looks likely to be carvell planked and as James W said it is usually not a good idea to glass or coat with a hard finish like epoxy unless it was designed and built that way, or you can completely encapsulate clean dry wood boat with a boat building epoxy. Cleaning, repairing rotted or cracked planks / frames may be necessary, but likely can recaulk and paint.

 

I restored a mohogany plank on frame 59' Chriscraft with a 283 corvette engine back in the 80's, added a mohogany swim platform and pylon, was beautiful. Skied it for years, it would hold speed at 35 mph, had no wake when on plane, but the spray would leave bruises.

[PatM]

@dbski. That is one cool looking wood boat. Love it. Restoring a boat like that is something I want to do when I retire. I don't have the time or the money to do it now. Is that a 62' Merc? And what is the hp?

[dbski]

Pat M. Thanks, the motor is a '59 Mark 35. Its a whopping 35 horsepower, man have times changed that was a good size motor back then. The boat is not restored, I built it two years ago. Go to Glen-L.com they have plans for about every kind of boat that you can imagine. Really cool company and it really isn't that hard to build their boats. Some basic woodworking tools and skills and you can start your own addiction of boat building!

[lpskier]

Pretty boats and a nice picture. Nice job building the boat, too. Here is my entry. The boat is named "Kiloleet", a 27' 1915 George Lawley and Sons launch. Kiloleet is an Abenaki Indian word meaning "Get out your checkbook." That's me behind the wheel.