I couldn't post this to the original inquiry from Messer (dont know why). Anyway, here is my .02 cents on wood boat projects:
I'd stay away from wood boats unless you know exactly what your getting into... Wood boats, fresh water & time do not mix... at least not without a lot of TIME & $$ to maintain them. Salt water "pickles" wood under the waterline & in the bilge and the wood can stay very solid for years & years. On a sea going vessel you typically find wood rot above the waterline via inadequate drainage & sitting fresh water. Messer's "antique" wood boat hasnt been maintained - everything is filthy or covered in a thick coat of paint (not applied correctly & probably NOT marine grade). Very hard to determine structural soundness without a plastic mallet (for the wood), metal hammer (for metal fasteners, rudder, etc) so you can "sound" the wood / fasteners via tapping. Hitting the wood lightly should make a solid knock (like a Louisville slugger baseball bat hitting a ball) and any through stringer/frame fasteners (bolts, etc) should "ping" when tapped with a small metal hammer. Back in the day, I had my inspection probe go through an 12" X 12" solid wood FRAME in the transom of the Spirit of Seattle like it was butter. We had some running rust around the captain's cabin "windows" that were squared off & angular - they caught water which drained fresh (rain) water INTO the ship rather than OFF the ship. So, like good CG inspectors we looked further - the entire transom was rotten & had to be replaced. The point is there were no outward signs of rot to be seen until my blunt screwdriver broke through the paint & buried the handle 8" deep... The boat your looking at is mostly marine grade plywood that hasnt had a good life...
I guess what I'm saying is... DONT GO THERE. Even a small wood boat project can get VERY expensive VERY fast.
Joel
