PRESERVING TIMBER HULL INTEGRITY

Timber is my favourite material for permanently moored boats. Providing it’s painted or varnished properly it can last far longer than fibreglass, without the risk of the osmosis that occurs when water gets behind the gel coat.

There are primarily two types of timber construction: planked and plywood. Planked hulls have been around forever, with traditional caulking between the planks or, since the 1950s, strip planking where planks are edge-glued