Jake888 said..
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Boating-Sail-Boats/~v0qbs/Classic-Wooden-GaffRig--24-0.aspx?_page=1&search=DzWVP%2FSP%2F8wlXTxthAj%2B4A%3D%3D

This little yacht has been on seabreeze for a while, after reading the adventures of Seraffyn I like the idea of an old wooden yacht but never sailed one.

What do people think the upkeep would be on something like this?
What would the sailing performance be? 5 knots max with 20 degrees into the wind?
Any key issues to look out for? Wood rot, worms, etc?

These sort of vessels are more suited to hobbyists. The maintenance is not all that much if you keep on top of the jobs and like painting. Modern technology has made things much easier but things like timber laid decks of the style this boat has will need lots of attention. The jarrah planking will outlast us and the hull will need the paint kept up to it. If the 8hp Yanmar has the horizontal piston/bore then forget it.
Performance will be modest and it will probably close reach in a breeze and sail off the wind OK but forget being close winded. If you want to go upwind at 5 knots you will need a halftonner!

I actually prefer the look off the $2.5k one.
Its a shame the family or descendants of the fisherman who built it in 1964 are not able or willing to take it on.
If it was on the East Coast, I'd be tempted myself.

boty said..
lot of sistered ribs for a boat at $19000 as ramona said performance would not be ideal but you dont need to go as ugly as a half tonner to get good windward performance any of the timber rorc boats will go well upwind if sailed well and have much better manners downwind than an ior boat and similar if not better performance per waterline

Not sure about the downwind manners of the RORC boats being that much better, per se. Boats like Rainbow II were designed for RORC and were very edgy downwind. As Peter Green once told me, you can't compare the antics of RORC/early IOR boats to the later ones because in the early days they couldn't push the boats as hard because the sails wouldn't hang together. The IOR boats had eras when they were dodgy downwind, but so did the RORC boats, as in era around 1967 when they were trying to keep the keels short but still hung the rudder on the keel.

I own a timber RORC half tonner, by the way, so I'm not biased against either side of the debate.

I think Ramona tells the tale of a wooden boat well. It's getting much easier with modern materials. The wooden boat does require more upkeep than a 'glass one but there's plenty of satisfaction in doing it. Where it gets really frustrating is when you don't have the right facilities to maintain them properly. I've got the half tonner on a trailer now and it's heading to live on the hardstand for a few years for a full reno. Trying to renovate it while afloat or paying slip fees was just too hard.