Durability of Wood sailboat

will African Mahogany last? In 1975 I bought a antique bed made CIRCA 1830-1840 of African Mahogany. It had been sitting in someone's barn in Maine for many many years. My wife and I used that bed until 2004. (We now live in a motorhome which has a built in bed). Pieces of that bed are now parts of two wooden boats I built a few years ago. Yeah, African Mahogany will last. Just take good care of it.

 

No PAR... I'm not kidding. What is your malfunction? Do you have no filter or because its the internet you can just be condescending and rude at the drop of hat?
Firstly, The OP lives in Oregon and is looking for a used boat in that region. Last time I was in Oregon Pacific Coastal Waters it was pretty damn cold! It was another poster who suggested rethinking his choice of wood IF he was considering sailing to the tropics. I respectfully agreed that there 'might' be issues depending on the type of construction, but if you READ a few of the posts you'll notice that the actual hull/construction type has NOT been identified.
So lets clear up something about wooden boats in humid environments... YOU live in Florida right? Does the inside of your car stink like mold? Hey maybe it doesn't because you take care of it, but I bet when you crank the A/C you can sure smell that moisture that causes mold growth inside your ventilation duct work. Gee, I wonder what happens to Traditionally constructed wooden hulls in the tropics.... hmmmm? Maybe, ya think there could be, oh my goodness, CONDENSATION on the INSIDE of the hull? Left unchecked and not properly ventilated or looked after, maybe that condensation builds up and causes mold growth and rot on unprotected wood surfaces?

How's that for "idle speculation and ridiculously grandiose statements"?

The OP asked about the durability of wood species... he never implied he was going to the tropics on an old wood boat he was going to buy without survey. There was a discussion going about wood, not "unsupportable supposition and guessing"... So if you want to just take a crap on a stranger's opinions without knowing them or their level of knowledge/experience, do me a favor... Take your Seagull Management somewhere else!

 

Mold and rot aren't what'll kill you or the boat … unless it's years of no maintenance.

 

I had the last 3 feet of the wooden boom of my old sailboat go from good to completely rotten after one year in Costa Rica. It is shocking how fast wood can disintegrate down there.

 

Condensation is not a major issue on wooden boats since wood is a poor heat conductor. Also, for wood to rot the moisture content needs to be above 20%. The spores stop reproducing when the wood is waterlogged. At very high water content, the wood can ferment. Higher temperatures help mold, bacteria and yeast to thrive. However, all are sensitive to salt. Rain or freshwater are the worst enemy of wooden boats. Many boats are caused to rot by owners that continue to wash them with fresh water. Wooden boats should be washed with salt water. It used to be common to add salt boxes or to drill the frame heads and pack them with salt. When deck leaked the salt dissolved and protected the wood. There are many work wooden boats in the tropics that last decades of hard use.

 

I guess living in a bath of water isn't humid, regardless of it's location on the globe?

It's not the sweet water that's the problem, but how it's handled, which is an owner responsibility and has nothing to do with how humid it might be, if it's trailer borne, or on a hook somewhere, again, regardless of location.

Regardless of species selected as the hull material (it can be your aunt Millie's mash potatoes, composite sandwich if you like), given the appropriate care, no issues. Of course I'll suspect your aunt Millie's composite might require more care than other composites, but this is the obvious key to all material choices, for the hull and the rest of the boat. Naturally, some are better than others.

I have more then one half century old wooden boat with original planking. They've lived in the horribly humid Florida weather all their lives and seemingly amazing as it might be, they're not covered in mold or rotted to death. My 37'er has been on a berth it's whole life and received reasonable care. Not excessive, simply appropriate upkeep. It's cedar over oak hull, has all of it's 1960 original carvel planking and only one frame repair, which was a previous owner mistake, when installing A/C.

 

Each boat is its own animal. As a general rule keep the bilges dry, fix leaks and keep wood sealed. An annual bottom coat is a good insurance policy, as are various UV deck varnishes and paints.

I agree with Gonzo that fresh, warm water is the enemy of boats. It harbors various organisms, penetrates the wood over time and destroys it in due time.

Higher saline content in water does help protect wood. Salt is a natural preservative. I recall sailing through the Red Sea. There are some very, very old wooden feluccas and fishing dows that have been sailing over there. Aside from a high saline content, this region has higher water evaporation rate is high due to the low humidity and high temps. Any living organism within the confines of the hull will likely die because of these factors (salt, heat, evap). All factors combined make life tough for an organism.

 

I don't know if it was mentioned yet, but the copper anti-fouling paint (at least below the waterline) is a good idea. Copper ions are known to disturb the reproductive processes of many organisms. It's not a total solution, but definitely plays an important part in protecting hulls.