Frequently Asked Questions
There are several advantages of wood construction besides its natural beauty. First of all, wood has strength. The weight to strength ratio of wood is better than most other materials being used in boat construction. This means that wooden boats are lighter and stronger than most boats. Wood will also withstand constant flexing, thus giving cedar strip boats a softer, quieter ride even in the roughest waters. Wood boats are also easily repaired without the need for complicated equipment, hazardous chemicals, or extensive labour. With the development of new adhesives to make the joints water tight, advances in varnishes and paints to minimize maintenance, plus the natural beauty and warmth of wood, you can see that a cedar strip really is the natural choice.
Our standard finish is three coats of marine spar varnish, and we can customize the finish with extra varnish and/or paint. You can also purchase the boat unfinished if you prefer. Since there may be more labour involved in applying other finishes, there may be an additional charge (see add-ons in the order form). Also we would like to point out that although our standard finish is durable and practical, it is not a “high polish” finish. If you would like a “high polish” finish let us know in your order form and we can add it for an additional cost.
How often you refinish will depend on how much the boat is exposed to the weather. It’s the ultra-violet light that breaks down the varnish and darkens the wood. We recommend that you keep the boat in a boat house or garage when not in use. If this is not possible, a mooring cover is a good investment.
Again, it will depend on how much the boat is used, but we recommend that you at least do the following:
1. At the end of the boating season clean out your boat and remove the floorboards. Use warm soapy water with a disinfectant (borax or chlorine) and a wet/dry vacuum to remove as much dirt and water as possible.
2. Store the boat out of the weather. Either outside and covered (shrink wrapped) or inside a storage building or garage. It is important that the boat be supported at transom and at the front only to avoid creating any hollows in the middle of the boat.
3. In the spring, a few weeks before you plan to use the boat, check the boat over and apply varnish or paint (if needed) on the decks, seats and outside of the boat. On the inside bottom (below the seats) apply a coat of a mixture of clear wood preservative and varnish (approx. 3 parts wood preservative: 1 part varnish).
4. Enjoy your boat for another season.
Some of our boats will require a “soaking up” period and for the first 2 to 3 days the boat is in the water it will leak. After that it should be watertight for the rest of the season (if it is left in the water). If it continues to leak after the third day there may be a problem. If so, try to locate the source of the leak and give us a call. In most cases it can be easily fixed by you or by us.
The option of fibreglassing your boat will eliminate the “soaking up period”. This is a thin layer of fibreglass applied to the bottom outside of the boat that makes the boat completely watertight. We recommend fibreglassing if you cannot leave the boat in the water all season. Some models have fibreglassing as standard equipment. Please refer to our price list for more details.
No, the fibreglass is only on one side of the wood . This allows the wood to “breathe”, therefore it will last just as long as a boat without fibreglass under the same conditions. Think of fibreglass as being a heavy, waterproof coat of paint.
That will depend on how it is maintained, how it is stored and how it is used . The average life of a cedar strip, under normal conditions, is about 25 years without any major repairs. If the boat is treated with clear wood preservative each spring, and kept as clean and dry as possible inside (don’t leave water in it over the winter), then it could last 30 or 40 years without any major repairs. We have repaired some wooden boats that were over 40 years old and will probably last another 40.
We try to stock most of our standard models, however repair work can alter our ability to build stock . If you want something that we don’t have in stock, it will take between 2 to 6 weeks to build one depending on the model and how many options or changes you specify. And yes, we will custom build the boat to your specifications! We can not easily change the design of the outside hull, but we can do just about anything to the inside design. Show us the plans for the boat of your dreams and we will try to make your dreams come true.