Hi We are concidering buying a old Canados 70 Ft built in 1985. Hull and superstructure is built in marine plywood and epoxy. Any here who have any experiende with boats build in these materials, or my Canados yachts ?
I believe that actually, up to the 80s, Canados used to build their hulls with cold molded diagonal mahogany planks. Anyhow, on these boats, usually the possible headaches are more in the decks and superstructure, which must be well maintained, taking care immediately of leaks around the gunwales and/or inside the interior. In fact, fresh water (from rain and wash) trapped inside the wooden structure is the typical culprit for rot, which is the main enemy of wooden boat. So, a careful survey is a must - and it has to be carried out by someone VERY familiar with this type of construction! But other than that, Canados of that vintage were fantastic boats, with a quality of the interior woodwork second to none. A friend of mine owns one, where I spent several months living aboard during the covid, and it was akin to a villa on the sea. What is the one you're considering powered by? Either DD or MTU in those years, suppose?
Beautiful old lady, but even if she may look like a lot of boat for the money, at first glance I'd expect her to need maintenance for at least as much as the asking price - probably more. And that's assuming no major issues with the machinery and/or the wooden structure. Just a couple of thoughts: First, it's a bit suspicious to see no photos of the interior, which used to be the highlight of these boats. At a guess, the reason could be either that it is badly worn out, or it shows extensive signs of darkened wood, due to fresh water finding its way inside from the decks - and neither of these possibilities are good news, obviously. Second, 580hp engines are way underpowered for that boat, where the yard used to install 1000+ hp engines. This, together with the fact that I never heard of the MAN engine model declared in the ad, makes me think that she may have been repowered at some stage, and those specs are incorrect. Unsurprisingly, considering that they also say she's built in GRP... OTOH, I can confirm you that Canados did install also MAN engines in that boat (model D2842LZE) , but I would have thought only from the very late 80s onward. That's the reason why I expected either MTUs or Detroits, in a 1985 construction. Anyhow, I can only reiterate what I said ref. the survey: look for the best surveyor you can find, and be ready and happy to pay him a LOT. In fact, it's an extremely thorough job that you need from him, and if he doesn't ask to be paid dearly, it means he's not good enough. And more than likely, you'll have to deal with unexpected repair bills that can be a multiple of any cheap surveyor saving. So, to summarize... Good luck!
Aye, I will also put in my 2 cents as I started my glorious yachting life buying an old and inexpensive wooden boat back in the 80s. (I am also like the OP from Norway where wooden boats can last 100+ years in the cold Artic waters, not so in warmer climates, in fact a surveyor and expert on wooden boats in Fort Laudable once told the life expectancy of a well made woodie in Florida is 35 years.) He was right, the Crocker 49 sailboat he surveyed for a friend of mine sank a few years later after it sprung a plank in the middle of the night and settled on the bottom of a residential canal across from from dock, barely 40 years old. Mr. Lunde, don’t do it, bad idea.
Hi i think i will follow my feeling and your recomendations and forget the wooden boat. During the yrs i had some large Norwegian wooden boats and one Princess 55, To day i do have 3 traditional wooden boats from diferent time period of norwegian boat building spending from 1932 until 1973. I think my next boat will be a fibreglass boat.
Good idea Mr. Lunde, the future was wooden boats back in the Viking ages, but labor was cheap then, and the Vikings had slaves called Skrellingers who did most of the work. Those days are over and now labor at a boat yard starts @ $125 per hour. (Where is a good Skrelling when you need one? )