Looking for Detroit, MI GB50 Shipwright

[moparharn]

Does anyone know of a good shipwright not too far from Detroit that could help restore the bottom of this boat? I think it needs 5-10 planks and some work on the transom below the waterline. What an amazing boat, but the wood working is a non starter for me. I need help. Any thoughts besides run for the hills?

 

[GregBrannon]

A better thread title might get a response from a person who could help you. The mods will help you change it if you want.

Greg.

 

[Comodave]

Sorry I can’t help you with a name. But that is a lot of wooden boat to maintain if you are not into woodworking yourself. I don’t want to be nasty but do you have deep pockets to hire all the woodwork that will be an ongoing issue? I don’t recommend people buying a wooden boat unless they have the skills and love of woodworking to do the work them selves. Wooden boats present several issues, insurance, marina slips may be difficult to get, hauling may be hard to find in some areas and skilled workers to maintain a wooden boat are getting more scarce. I don’t want to rain on your parade, but go into a wooden boat with your eyes open. Good luck.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. m. I tend to agree with Mr. C wrt insurance, haulage and skilled woodworkers. compounding those potential problems is you appear to be in the Great Lakes so you will have to haul every fall for storage. Planks dry out and shrink and everything freezes. In the spring when you launch, the planks swell up again.

The constant movement of the wood against the fastenings causes yet other problems. If she hasn't been done already, plan for a complete refastening of the hull from the water line down.
ANY unaddressed deck leaks WILL lead to dry rot. The mind boogles.

 

[moparharn]

You are saying what I expected to hear , sometimes we just need to hear it from someone else in order to convince ourselves that we do in fact have our head up our rear end. This boat was truly something in her day. If someone is good with wood it is a real find.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, they were nice in the day, but a PITA today to maintain. And some insurance companies won’t cover them. And it will only get more difficult to get coverage for insurance, hauling, slips, etc. If you don’t love woodworking, then I would advise to run, as was your first intuition.

With fiberglass, anyone can learn to work on them.

 

[FlyWright]

In my marina, they just changed the rules to require that all woodies be pulled and professionally surveyed every 3 or 5 (can't remember) years to assure seaworthiness.

 

[moparharn]

Did I mention it is priced so right that ....................yeah, I know. “The cheapest boat in the yard is the most expensive boat in the yard”. I learned the “all that glitters ain’t gold” lesson when I was young. Slow learner I guess. There is something majestic about a wood boat.

 

[Captain Max]

Pops sold all his classic cars, sold the boat and now collects paintings because the care and feeding is just a nail in the wall. He shuffles them around, as he buys and sells them. He said that he owned some wood boats back when there were boatyards in Tarpon Springs that worked real cheap like 35 -40 years ago and that the marinas back then never even mentioned insurance.

 

[John R M]

My cousin, an owner of many wooden boats, warned me against buying a wooden boat unless I had access to indoor facilities where the work could be done. A no brainer in MI's climate.

 

[Comodave]

In my marina, they just changed the rules to require that all woodies be pulled and professionally surveyed every 3 or 5 (can't remember) years to assure seaworthiness.

This is what I was referring to. And it will get progressively more restrictive as time goes by and wooden boats get more scarce.