Wood as a Boatbuilding Material

[ErikG]

Gonzo, if you're a mech. I guess you took it as an insult that Oddball thinks that you are "raping" his wallet. But servicing has become a lot more expensive because of all the expensive service computers and electronics, don't you agree?
And it seems like any workshop needs to have several of them as they aren't compatible...

Engines are a big prob these days though, and you have to agree that there is nothing Odd' or I can do to fix our engines when they brake down. Yes loads of improvments, lower fuel consumption and less emissions for sure, but reliability is not one of them.

With my old -88 Audi I could fix anything, on my newer Ford I don't dare touch anything cause it might upset something electronic.

just my 2 cents

[oddball]

Gonzo lets take this to e-mail, I dont wish to hi-jack this post any further or have it turn ugly

depo262@yahoo.com

[gonzo]

oddball, this are some of your comments:

Originally posted by oddball


I am pretty damm sure your not talking about a " syncronized multi port injected" V8,
, that piece of crap
to run like crap!,
...BS i
the above kind of crap is just a waste of my time
an over engineered piece of crap, there is an old saying
I
[/RANT]

ErikB:
I don't think it takes longe but less time to fix an engine. However, you got to know what you are doing. Also, the mainteinance and repair in a modern engine is way less. The mechanical parts can be fixed with the same basic tools old engines needed. Also, a "winky-blinky" will give you trouble codes and set the base timing. They cost about $15.00. The problem you guys have is lack of training. Without understanding of a systems, there is no way to fix it. I repeat, this is a marine forum, it would be better to give examples of boat engines. Cars have other characteristics that may make the more difficult but have nothing to do with boats.
Increased reliablilty is easy to prove. Check out the quantitiy of warranty claims proportional to hours of use, and it will show they decreased. Nobody changes sparkpugs every 10-15 hours like they did in the '40s.

Originally posted by gonzo
There are lots of fiberglass boats built in the early 60's still around. They usually look rough, but many are serviceable. 80 year old boats are mostly restorations. Therefore they are not 80 but largely newer. For example, Oyster talks of a 40% planking replacement. It would surprise me if none of the frames was changed too. The hull was probably refastened too.

Hum, don't quite remember bragging about 40 percent replacement. BUt what the heck, I still am a big fan of the cold mould building method, as prescribed in a post concerning the desire of personal tastes and all of that stuff. I don't know where it is, right now. BUt we did discuss this issue of the narrow market, that a bunch of woodheads take advantage of, all the way to the bank? Yep, and as another fellow says, last a while longer, in the long run, than a lot of that other smelly stuff.

Most of the time, they will also get better maintainance schedule, thatn many of those smelly things too, like all the way to the banks.

Sorry, don't do big engines, though. I leave that to the wrench heads, and I just turn the key, and away I go. Hey have you heard of the new GTO, 350 HP, Corvettte engine?

[gonzo]

Hey Oyster, sorry if I thought it was you talking about a 40% plank replacement. The early heavily built fiberglass boats seem to still be fine. Some of the light scantling boats from the late 70s and 80s had many problems. Cracks, blisters and delamination were some of the problems cause by builders trying to go light before testing materials. Also, because of the perception that fiberglass was trouble free, there was less quality control than in a wooden shop. Of course I'm generalizing, but the amount of boats with structural and blistering problems show I'm in the ballpark. I haven't worked in fiberglass in quite a while. Years of exposure made me sensitive to it. Even epoxy bothers me after a while. This is not to say that wood is not toxic. The stuff that keeps cedar and juniper from rotting is highly toxic too. Also, if anyone remembers there were cases of "lung rot" in the early 80s. It came from SE Asia in teak lumber. It is cause by a combination of fungus and bacteria.