when did boats go woodless??

[stackz]

Don't really know how else to phrase the title honestly.

I sold my old boat this weekend and I'm going to be looking at a newer boat. I don't want a boat with any wood in the construction, completely composite. I know really new boats are all like this but I don't know which companies went woodless and when they did this.

so I guess I will start this off by saying I'm possibly going to look at a 1993 key west 19' dual console this coming weekend....but was key west woodless at this point? or does it have wood stringers and transom material? I'm thinking it might but I don't know anything about the brand honestly.

is there a sticky anywhere with a listing of various manufacturers and when you are guaranteed to have a woodless boat?

 

[vollymall]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Key Wests are nice boats. I'm pretty confident that one is wood structure. I think to the extent the manufacturers switched it was early 2000s.

 

[stackz]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Key Wests are nice boats. I'm pretty confident that one is wood structure. I think to the extent the manufacturers switched it was early 2000s.

ok so definitely knock out 90's boats at the minimum?

I nor the wife want to deal with a wood stringer or transom ever again lol. Its pretty much a mandate at this point for both of us considering what we went through on our last boat.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Not all boats are wood less construction, even today. Some have less wood than others, but few are completely wood less.

you will have to do some research to figure out the ones that are completely woodless, if that is your desire.

triton, southport are a couple of brands that come to mind. Some boats that have synthetic stringers still have wood transoms and bulkheads.

 

[dannys2004glastron175mx]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

My 2004 Glastron is all fiberglass :joyous:

 

[Augoose]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Deleted - repost

 

[JimS123]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

My '52 is 100% wood. No aluminum or fiberglass. The ride and handling just can't be beat. "They don't make them like they used to" surely fits. And the fragrance when the cover is first taken off....priceless!

 

[lg260ss]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Not all boats are wood less construction, even today. Some have less wood than others, but few are completely wood less.

you will have to do some research to figure out the ones that are completely woodless, if that is your desire.

triton, southport are a couple of brands that come to mind. Some boats that have synthetic stringers still have wood transoms and bulkheads.

Very true, Formula for example uses lots of wood to construct their SS and PC lines and No wood for the Fastech line. Woodless doesn't mean better by any means, lots of great builders use wood and some not so good builders use no wood.

 

[agallant80]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Depends on the brand. My 2013 Bayliner cruiser has a balsa core and I can see lots of ply in some of the construction such as bulkheads.

 

[thumpar]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Depends on manufacturer. Cobalt stopped using wood in the mid 90's sometime.

 

[stackz]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

well ok but boston whalers are woodless as far as I know.

then there's the newer sea pro's, sea hunt's, scouts and such right? I could have sworn there were more than just a couple of boat manufacturers that dont have any wood in the construction??

 

[tpenfield]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Here is a look at the innerds of a Boston whaler transom . . . older boat, not sure of the model year . . .

 

[dingbat]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

I'm going to look into my crystal ball and say in 10 years, delamination will replace rot in "composite" boats

 

[agallant80]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

I'm going to look into my crystal ball and say in 10 years, delamination will replace rot in "composite" boats

Something will always get a boat in the end. With that said there is a big difference in our lake boats/small cruisers and large 40+ foot construction boats. Hell there are sailboats out there that are 100%wood hulls and do just fine. I think the majority of boats on this site are "disposable" boats, like cars.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Had an '04 McKee with zero wood and an '06 EdgeWater with zero wood. There is a thread on THT that lists the builders with the year they went woodless...

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

I feel like having a mandate to buy only a boat that is wood free is the same as saying you will only buy a car that has no steel. Steel rusts, wood rots. Are the alternatives really that much better?

When wood is used wisely by a good boat manufacturer there really isn't anything that can beat it.

 

[thumpar]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

I feel like having a mandate to buy only a boat that is wood free is the same as saying you will only buy a car that has no steel. Steel rusts, wood rots. Are the alternatives really that much better?

When wood is used wisely by a good boat manufacturer there really isn't anything that can beat it.

The type of wood used makes a difference also.

 

[rallyart]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Part of the reason I bought my current 21' boat is that it used wood but the type of wood does make a difference. The wood in mine is guaranteed not to rot. Ever. It's still encapsulated, but that has to do with structure more than anything else.
To answer the question, in the early 90's a few manufacturers started to go completely woodless but many used it past 2000. You have to check each manufacturer and model.

 

[quad59]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

My 2004 Glastron is all fiberglass :joyous:

Except for your transom. Just talked to dealer at the boat show because I was looking for all composite construciton. Glastron still uses wood in the transom.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: when did boats go woodless??

Except for your transom. Just talked to dealer at the boat show because I was looking for all composite construciton. Glastron still uses wood in the transom.

Yup, a lot of the boat companies that have switched to synthetis stringers, still use wood in the transom. Lots of folks make assumptions from the advertisement of synthetic stringers that it applies to the entire boat . . . Not always the case.

Typically if a boat company uses no wood at all, they will state that on their web site and in related literature. Grady-White, actually states that they use wood in their stringers and transon right on their web site.

According to some folks on the OSO forum who have dug into their Formula Fastech boats, the transom is plywood, even though the stringer system is synthetic.

Just seems to be a lot of hearsay and misconceptions about 'wood-less' boats