T&T: wooden boats

[Alan]

The Cutty Sark is on display, but for years and years and years it has not
been floating.  It is in a permanent enclosed concrete dry dock.

When I saw it about 5 years ago, the tour would point out where the hull was
decaying (and why it was not floating).  There was a great display inside
the ship of old mastheads that had been gathered from ships.

About a year ago when I saw it again you could no longer get on the boat --
it was being restored and the project was expected to last through 2008.

By the way, Sark has an Iron frame to which wood (I think, teak) are
fastened.  The hull below the water line is sheathed with Muntz metal
(copper/ zinc) to prevent worms and barnacles from screwing up the wood.
The metal sides were fastened with copper nails -- which is what has caused
so much trouble over the years along with the wrought iron corroding.

Alan Wagner
Tampa

-------Original Message-------

From: C. Marin Faure
Date: 5/17/2007 3:00:56 AM
To: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Subject: T&T: wooden boats


As to the longevity of wooden boats, the clipper Cutty Sark was
Launched in 1869.  Today she is restored and on public display in Greenwich,
England, just down the Thames from London.  Cutty Sark was built with iron
frames and wood planking.  The hull and deck planking is teak.  While she
has been overhauled several times in her career, and was pretty ill-treated
and neglected in the decades before she was taken to Greenwich, a good
portion of her hull planking is original.  The wood is 138 years old.