Wooden yachts have always held a special place in boat lovers' hearts, but many people are put off by the practicalities of owning one. Maintenance is always perceived to be difficult, and it is essential that if you buy a wooden yacht it’s one that has been well looked after.
Most wooden boats on the market these days are at least 40 to 50 years old and unless they have had good, regular maintenance they may just spell disappointment and disillusion. Find a boat that has that little bit extra, a well-known previous owner or a famous designer. Perhaps a proven race winner or a good builder. On the East Coast a Kim Holman or Alan Buchanan design would be good, for example, or maybe a Cyril White-built Folkboat or a Prior’s-built Stella.

Look for a well cared-for boat that is tidy and clean. If the boat is scruffy there’s a good chance it’s not been looked after. A boat that is 50 years old will inevitably have had work done. Beware of major work undertaken by the owner unless they are unusually competent. Be wary if an owner tells you she has ‘always been well looked after, but I’ve let her go the last year or two, she just needs fitting out’. Inevitably the engine will be seized up, the coachroof will be rotten and the mice will have chewed the sails!

Ideally when buying, say, a 50-year-old yacht, the decks will have been renewed professionally; she will certainly have been re-rigged and she may have had fundamental work done to the hull.

Run through a check list of the equipment. Has she been re-engined? Does she have recent sails? Are the electrics and nav equipment up to date? All these items and more are expensive and could cost you thousands of pounds to sort out before you even go sailing!

Employ an expert
It’s always worth asking someone with knowledge of boats their opinion before buying your own. You would be amazed how many people buy a boat and then ask the experts how to sort the problems out. Assuming you intend to insure her (and you would be foolish not to) you will need a report to show to your insurance company – ask whether they require a full survey or whether a condition report will suffice.

If the boat is in obviously tip-top condition or small, a condition report will be less expensive. If only a condition report is needed you may find a local shipwright prepared to furnish one, but a surveyor would be preferable as he/she will carry third- party indemnity insurance. For larger, more expensive vessels, I would always recommend a full survey by a reputable surveyor.
Most yacht brokers will have a list of local surveyors, failing that contact the IIMS or YBDSA. One of the best ways to find the local guy who is good is to ask the local boatyards who they would recommend.

What to look out for
Before you waste money having an old dog surveyed, check her over yourself. Is she well painted and varnished? Does the deck leak? More trouble is caused by leaky decks than a leaky bottom. Fresh water is the enemy of the wooden boat and the quickest way for fresh water to get in is through poorly bedded deck fittings, strained stanchions etc. Do the services work? Check that the seacocks work, you would be amazed how often they don’t. If she is afloat, can you see her out of the water? If you don’t want to spend the money on lifting her out at the yard, see if she can be dried out against the quay so you can examine the bottom. Look out for unevenness in the planking, missing stopping in the seams, or water weeping from a seam. If possible see the engine started from cold. Does it start readily? Does it smoke? Is there plenty of cooling water? If she is ashore, how long has she been ashore? If she has dried out too much over several years she may have to be re-caulked and possibly refastened. If she has stainless steel standing rigging find out how old it is – many insurance companies will ask for it to be replaced if it is 10 or more years old. Look for kinks or signs of strain in the standing rigging, look for chafe on the running rigging.

After you’ve bought her.
Many boats are perfectly serviceable but are not in concourse condition. You may well be planning a programme of restoration work over several years. A good surveyor should be able to help you prioritise the tasks. Don’t make alterations hastily –, use the boat for a season or so before committing to expensive renovations. Wooden boats need not be as onerous to own as people think. Sensible maintenance done every year, with repairs undertaken promptly, should keep her going for many seasons  and a beautiful wooden yacht will always garner admiring looks.

Brian Kennell, Surveyor