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Wood Boat Revival

Company Profile

Wood Boat Revival is committed to renewing the love, enjoyment and heritage of wooden boats; and relating to those of us that have that heart. Just as they have for thousands of years, boat builders continue to use wood for a variety of craft, whether the hulls form ships, small boats, sea kayaks or canoes. Local species such as White Oak, Locust, Cherry, Ash, Fir and Cedar are used after being inspected for the best quality and carefully chosen for all parts involved in construction. A few decades back many thought wooden boats were in danger of disappearing. The rising popularity of watersports and stiff competition in production necessitated the search for other quicker cheaper building materials, thus fiberglass/polyester was used. Wood's revival is due partially to its aesthetics and our growing appreciation of it, while realizing that fiberglass alone was not the do-all-end-all it was touted to be. But the real reason probably has more to do with polymers and the development of epoxy. Epoxy is a clear, two-part liquid plastic that's both a glue and a waterproof coating. It not only revolutionised wooden boat building, it simplified it, spawning the second-growth wooden boat industry in existence today. Epoxy allows wood to compete with fiberglass,as a high-tech building material. Builders now saturate wood with the tough plastic resin, sealing it to prevent decay and increase strength. An occasional fresh coat of varnish is the only routine maintenance most wood/epoxy boats require. Epoxy has amazing strength and gap-filling properties, fiberglass and other exotic fibers can be laminated to wood plies to combine the best structural properties of both materials.