Jump to content

Wooden NB for sale


Ex-Member

Featured Posts

Yes its still in there! Dont you need a nice national in lily rather than that silly thing??? I know a nice boat it would fit into.

 

Yes all the boats at Puttenham are side slipped

I don't own "Lily" any more but the time I boated commercially 1958 to1968 & hotel boating to 72 The reliability, ease of starting (air/compression start, Glow plug, for starting heat, Gearbox, & apparently more"Umph at the prop than any of the Nationals of the time, there would have been NO WAY that I would have swapped it out but a later owner swapped it for a miss firing Bolinder 20 HP His loss & "Severn's" gain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting back to the topic........... smiley_offtopic.gifhelp.gif I have spoken to both the builder and the surveyor and I have their opinions......... there is no doubt this boat is beautifully crafted and the impression I got was that money was not an object. Apart from the fact it would require a more individual type of blacking I cannot (being as niave as I am) really see what specific problems a wooden hull would present. If a steel hull was not maintained and became pitted badly enough it would require overplating. I have looked at one boat (steel) that was launched in 1989 and the hull is in perfect condition whereas a 2005 boat had already been plated. I appreciate that finding the skills to repair a wooden hull may take longer but there are boatyards out there plus I also read that wooden hulls are making a comback (smal as it may be) SO>>>>>>>>>>>>> what am I missing????smile.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are you missing? Possibly that if they had that much going for them more people would commission them.

And that it is certainly going to be harder to sell should you ever need/want to. It's very much a niche market. (You may want to keep it forever but circumstances can change.)

I say this as someone who owned a 1930s wooden boat - a Broads cruiser - which was beautiful but very demanding to own.

"Don't let your heart rule your head" said the surveyor when we bought it. We did!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Don't let your heart rule your head" said the surveyor when we bought it. We did!

Well that is what I am afraid of. I naturally (forgive the pun) usually go against the flow and am also a bit of a Luddite (no mobile phone/facebook/social media etc, the only tablets I have are for pain relief) I only have this laptop because I live in such a remote area I would be completely isolated plus it gives me the chance to search for things...like boats and to join a forum like this. I know that the boat cost upwards of £150k, money was no object, and I have been told there will not be a queue at the end of their garden for it but, realistically, I also know that although I am in a position to buy hopefully a decent narrow boat I do not have the privilage of endless funds and so regretfully, with the advice I have been given (on here and elsewhere) I think I will have to go mainstream on this one and it will have to be head over heart. Whatever people's opinions, which I respect, I think anyone would agree (especially if you check out the builder's website & photos etc) that is truly a unique qnd beautiful boat. Oh well back to searching.......... boat.gifdetective.gif thanks for the comments chap and chapesses......cheers.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that is what I am afraid of. I naturally (forgive the pun) usually go against the flow and am also a bit of a Luddite (no mobile phone/facebook/social media etc, the only tablets I have are for pain relief) I only have this laptop because I live in such a remote area I would be completely isolated plus it gives me the chance to search for things...like boats and to join a forum like this. I know that the boat cost upwards of £150k, money was no object, and I have been told there will not be a queue at the end of their garden for it but, realistically, I also know that although I am in a position to buy hopefully a decent narrow boat I do not have the privilage of endless funds and so regretfully, with the advice I have been given (on here and elsewhere) I think I will have to go mainstream on this one and it will have to be head over heart. Whatever people's opinions, which I respect, I think anyone would agree (especially if you check out the builder's website & photos etc) that is truly a unique qnd beautiful boat. Oh well back to searching.......... boat.gifdetective.gif thanks for the comments chap and chapesses......cheers.gif

There are quite a few Surveyors that are competent to examine "Maid of Oak'

 

Having been professionally involved in the build or restoration of many timber Launches let me assure you that a well constructed and maintained wood Boat is a reasonable investment

 

Don't let it go by without further scrutiny.

 

CT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SO>>>>>>>>>>>>> what am I missing????smile.png

 

 

If you stand still and quietly in a wooden boat and listen, you can hear them rotting...

 

In the three years I owned a wooden boat the rate of rotting was staggering. Timbers that were sound when I bought it were like Weetabix when I sold...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go on join the club! I wouldnt own a steel boat over a wooden one, i love joshers but the first chance i had of getting a wooden one i jumped at it! There is nothing like a wooden boat yes they may give you hell but the rewards are far higher in my opinion. A good wooden boat will serve you well for years it may even out live you give them half a chance. I know quite a few people who have had / got wooden boats that have owned or own them for over 30 odd years. And there still in good condition at being historic (the owners as well as the boats) so a newish well looked after wooden boat easly has the potential to last just as long if not longer with newer technology. As far as insurance you shouldnt need servays (all though recomemded) till around another 10 - 15 years time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

If you stand still and quietly in a wooden boat and listen, you can hear them rotting...

 

In the three years I owned a wooden boat the rate of rotting was staggering. Timbers that were sound when I bought it were like Weetabix when I sold...

Yeabut,you did help to stop the Death Watch Beetle from becoming an endangered species even though you could never quite be sure that the Clock had stopped!

 

CT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go on join the club! I wouldnt own a steel boat over a wooden one, i love joshers but the first chance i had of getting a wooden one i jumped at it! There is nothing like a wooden boat yes they may give you hell but the rewards are far higher in my opinion. A good wooden boat will serve you well for years it may even out live you give them half a chance. I know quite a few people who have had / got wooden boats that have owned or own them for over 30 odd years. And there still in good condition at being historic (the owners as well as the boats) so a newish well looked after wooden boat easly has the potential to last just as long if not longer with newer technology. As far as insurance you shouldnt need servays (all though recomemded) till around another 10 - 15 years time

wacko.pngOk I am a typical Libran, it takes me ages to make decisions but when I do I stick with it, so here we are with another morning and another opinion and I am as indecisive as ever. Forgive me for repeating myself but I understand that the hull will require stripping, caulking etc before blacking and this may take a bit more time and money (this boat has been done 5 times in 10 years, quote from the owner 'each time by Adrian Polglaise who was recommended by Malcolm Braine (a very knowledgable and respected elderly boatbuilder' & this was confirmed by the surveyor Trevor Whitling when I spoke with him) but although dire warnings have been given no one really has said what else makes owning a wooden boat such a no no.

 

Obviously most wooden boat enthusiats would say 'go for it' whilst others (who may never have owned a wooden boat) say don't, which I accept is their perogative. I look at a steel hull being built and I think 'Ok it may be by a well respected builder' but it does'nt exactly excite me. I also appreciate that it is the finished product which determines whether someone buys it or not. But when I look at the construction and quality of this boat I really am awed by the craftsmanship. Perhaps it is the cost of making a wooden boat, compared to a steel hull (which, let's be honest at the end of the day is just welding large sheets of metal together) which is why there are so few being made. The bulk of the cost has to be the materials and labour (I believe this took 3 years to build).

 

So come on you experienced boaters, (my name says it all) give me some seriously objective reasons for or against. I promise I won't hold you too it but I need more than 'I wouldn't buy one' respect Numptyhelp.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talk to Ade Polglase (he's based at Alvecote); talk to Jem Bates; talk to people who own wooden boats - particularly those who maintain them properly. Pete Boyce at Braunston is another name that comes to mind. There will be others, invariably owners of historic boats. The Historic Narrow Boat Club Could be another source of contacts. Try to avoid talking to people who are just about managing to keep their wooden boats afloat with constant crisis intervention, that will give you a skewed idea.

 

Very few people on this forum have the knowledge and experience to give you the in depth information you are clearly seeking. Including me, because I wouldn't touch one with a long shaft - but that doesn't mean it might not be right for you. At least if you go into it in depth with people who really know you won't be left wondering if you made the right decision.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Very few people on this forum have the knowledge and experience to give you the in depth information you are clearly seeking. Including me, because I wouldn't touch one with a long shaft - but that doesn't mean it might not be right for you. At least if you go into it in depth with people who really know you won't be left wondering if you made the right decision.

Hi and thanks for your advice. I have spoken with Jem Bates, who built it, and Trevor Whitling who was the surveyor throughout the process who, are obviously wooden boat enthusiasts and I will try your other suggestions. I agree I should not to pass this up without further research but, with respect, it is exactly your comment above which I am receiving but without any objective reasons as to why.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi and thanks for your advice. I have spoken with Jem Bates, who built it, and Trevor Whitling who was the surveyor throughout the process who, are obviously wooden boat enthusiasts and I will try your other suggestions. I agree I should not to pass this up without further research but, with respect, it is exactly your comment above which I am receiving but without any objective reasons as to why.

 

 

You already know the reason, it is treadmill of maintenance. A steel or riveted iron boat will tolerate being ignored for 10 or 20 years and still be relatively straightforward to rescue but not a wooden boat. Failing to dock it on alternate years and keep on top of problems developing leads in the longer term to massive intervention being necessary or just leave it to deteriorate beyond economic repair.

 

And the costs of keeping on top of maintenance and repairs is probably very 'lumpy' and unpredictable, ie. one year it's trivial but next year weeks of work and tons of expense are identified which simply won't wait.

 

This is about it really, as I understand wooden boats. Steel ones make far more sense in comparison but if you have the resources to keep on top of maintenance then you'll be fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi and thanks for your advice. I have spoken with Jem Bates, who built it, and Trevor Whitling who was the surveyor throughout the process who, are obviously wooden boat enthusiasts and I will try your other suggestions. I agree I should not to pass this up without further research but, with respect, it is exactly your comment above which I am receiving but without any objective reasons as to why.

Yes, I made the comment deliberately to illustrate the level of knowledge and expertise you are likely to get from all but a very tiny minority of contributors to this forum, with the best will in the world.

I do actually have some experience of a wooden boat, albeit not a narrow boat, which has informed my view.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I made the comment deliberately to illustrate the level of knowledge and expertise you are likely to get from all but a very tiny minority of contributors to this forum, with the best will in the world.

I do actually have some experience of a wooden boat, albeit not a narrow boat, which has informed my view.

Ok valid point and, again, I accept & thank you for your point of view & comments. I will do some more research and at the end of the day, as with any boat, the final decison rests with me.......unsure.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another thing that has just come to me, I went with someone once to view a wooden narrow boat. It was well maintained and it was being lived on and it was lovely, I think we both fell in love with it (I was only there for moral support) but we agreed in the end that it needed someone living on it; it would have been no good as a boat that was left alone for long periods. So another key question is what sort of use are you thinking of for your boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another thing that has just come to me, I went with someone once to view a wooden narrow boat. It was well maintained and it was being lived on and it was lovely, I think we both fell in love with it (I was only there for moral support) but we agreed in the end that it needed someone living on it; it would have been no good as a boat that was left alone for long periods. So another key question is what sort of use are you thinking of for your boat.

Good point. Whilst we will not be residential or continuous cruisers we do expect to use it for between 2 and 6 weeks at a time for most of the year which makes paying for mooring a bummer!!!!wacko.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You dont need to strip and re cork every time if its docked every 2 years by the 3rd dock you will prob need to re cork but if you put a couple of layers of tar on it will keep it better, jet was quick scrape to remove loose old tar and 2 coats. I dont know if this boat has ice plates i would have thought so but these are the worst areas the bow and under the back deck as the prop makes lots of wash and wears the tar off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The waterline is the bit that needs most attention. You can get away with the odd scalf joint going by cutting it out and putting new bit in rather than just replacing the plank then and there will then give you a few years to sort out funds to replace it, a patched scalf joint can last a long time without the need to be changed but is worth doing replacing next dock change rather than leave it. A well protected bow will last years ice will be a point to keep an eye on but you can plate around the water line this will protect the wood as a very hard winter can put pressure on the hull (keep it away from thick solid ice) you can always put a rubber tube around the hull during winter this way any ice will crush the rubber tube first as its softer than the wood.

Alot of wooden boat owners will tend to keep a boat 30 odd years.

 

To give you an idea of time scale to change 3-4 bottoms 2 planks below water line scrape re cork and pitch and tar is around 3 weeks in dock or you can slip it and to keep costs down.

 

A quick jet scrape and tar will be a week. So not really longer than a steel boat you just dock it more often. But if you want to split hairs john h who owned peacock docker her every year i beleive was when his truck went for mots

I cant coment on the cabin as ive not seen it up close but good paint and kept dry should last again the inside of peacock is still from 1915 from new and thats wood!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

We went past Maid of Oak yesterday - still says 'for sale' on it.

Did Numpty (or anyone else on here) pursue things with it? It's all gone quiet on the forum.

No although my heart said yes my head and a lot of research and advice said no.......... so alas not for me, perhaps if I were more experienced etc...... I have however put a deposit on a trad stern boat which I hope will do us fine....time will tellboat.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No although my heart said yes my head and a lot of research and advice said no.......... so alas not for me, perhaps if I were more experienced etc...... I have however put a deposit on a trad stern boat which I hope will do us fine....time will tellboat.gif

Thats coz everyone has steel and is scared of wood.

 

Its like buying a rx7/rx8 vs say a mx5 or s2000 most buy the mx5 or s2000 as they wouldnt recomend or others wouldnt recomend a rx engine not that they would have had any first hand experiance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats coz everyone has steel and is scared of wood.

 

Its like buying a rx7/rx8 vs say a mx5 or s2000 most buy the mx5 or s2000 as they wouldnt recomend or others wouldnt recomend a rx engine not that they would have had any first hand experiance

 

 

I'd say it is more to do with the extra time involved in looking after wood properly. Miss out a few years and a steel boat can be brought up to scratch quite easily. No so easy with wood once 'let go'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we had our butty restored fifteen years ago I insisted on keeping the wooden back cabin, cants, hatches, framing on the forecabin etc. in the interests of maintaining, as far as possible, authenticity.

Keeping the back cabin watertight has been a constant battle. Five years ago I decided to bite the bullet and sheath it with fibre glass and resin, using the West System. All seemed well and for the first time the back cabin didn't leak. Problem solved. Or so I thought. Now that the waterlogged roof and bulkheads have thoroughly dried out the wood had begun to become friable and the roof is beginning to flex.

 

I am now going to horrify the traditionalists because I've decided to do what I should have done all those years ago and have the back cabin sheathed in steel and I'm meeting one of the top restorers of historic boats next week to see how he advises going about the job.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we had our butty restored fifteen years ago I insisted on keeping the wooden back cabin, cants, hatches, framing on the forecabin etc. in the interests of maintaining, as far as possible, authenticity.

Keeping the back cabin watertight has been a constant battle. Five years ago I decided to bite the bullet and sheath it with fibre glass and resin, using the West System. All seemed well and for the first time the back cabin didn't leak. Problem solved. Or so I thought. Now that the waterlogged roof and bulkheads have thoroughly dried out the wood had begun to become friable and the roof is beginning to flex.

 

I am now going to horrify the traditionalists because I've decided to do what I should have done all those years ago and have the back cabin sheathed in steel and I'm meeting one of the top restorers of historic boats next week to see how he advises going about the job.

Ah now your seeing what they dont tell you with using fiberglass. It will keep all the water out but you cant get the wood to breath so it locks in the moisture and rots it.

 

You cant win. You just gain a little advantage till the wood and water out smart you and you have to turn into a amazing diy/professor its like trying a rubic cube but when your not looking you mate changes it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.