| Perhaps the biggest of your concerns wiil be the teredo. These worms
enter wood from the surface at any even slightly unprotected point, and
then live inside the wood, slowly eating away all but the surface in time.
Chances are you can see graphic evidence of this by looking at a piling or
other wooden structure that's been in Florida waters for a decade or so --
a quite gentle bump from a 30' pulling boat (2+ tons) once broke a 10"
piling, it was so far gone.
Copper sheathing, perhaps? ;-) Seriously, you'll just have to be very
careful and diligent about your bottom paint. There are some wooden boats
in Florida, some quite advanced in years, but only those whose owners
loved and took care of them.
J.
P.S. If you end up in the Keys, perchance, I can recommend a man who knows
a lot about these problems, and who can suggest some local solutions.
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| as in .1 the bottom paint is most important. Keep it on, keep it thick.
A shoe for the keel may also be a thought to consider as it will be the
first place you will touch and if you have much draft and go for the
Gulf side you may be touching quite often.
The paint and varnish on the topsides and in particular the deck and
coachroof will also be subjected to sun longer and stronger than they
are used to now. Again you must keep up the protection. Don't let it go
the sun will not let you off easily. Two of my friends, one in Key West
and the other in Tampa kept a slow stream of water runnng on the decks
during the summer to keep the planks swelled! Every boat I've seen has
covers for all the brightwork.
Barnacles will also like the warm water and grow faster and bigger than
up here so again bottom paint with a "tropical" formula.
But you can swim yearround and if you live on the Atlantic side go to
the Bahamas for Christmas vacation!
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| My understanding is that you should not have too much trouble with worms
in your teak as terado's apparently don't like it. However, if your
keel and deadwood are oak you should probably think seriously about
copper sheething from the garboard down. Terados probably deserve
their reputation.
As note .2 said, you will most likely have a lot of trouble keeping
your decks tight. If you have solid teak decks and the caulking has
not been renewed lately, you should plan to either re-caulk the decks
of learn to live with leaks.
When I was on vacation on Tortola a while back, I had the opportunity
to spend some time talking with the owner of White Cloud II, a 90+ foot
teak schooner of uncertain age. The owner said that electrolosis is
much more of a problem in Carribean waters than it is up north. He
also said that he finds that he has to pack his bilges with salt to
prevent rot in the keel and frame ends. He ripped out the ceilings
throughout the boat when he got to the tropics, cleaned everything out
and replaced the ceilings with 2" wide Port Oreford cedar planks spaced
1/4" apart to ensure proper ventalation to the frames ---also to
prevent rot in the oak. Finally, he said that he has to renew the
varnish at least twice per year in spite of the fact that he uses a
tropical formulation of varnish with lots of UV filters.
Donald Street has written several good books and articles about upkeep
on wooden boats in the tropics. One, The Ocean Going Sailing Yacht
from (I guess) the mid sixtys has a long section on tropical
maintenance.
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| We bought a 30-year old 42 ft. wooden ketch in Maine four years ago and went
south with her. We sold her recently and she's still in Key West, getting
ready for a chartering career.
The other replies were correct about bottom painting more often, and checking
for teredos -- you should be able to see worm holes. Also, check the seams
in the carvel planking. That's where they'll get in.
You'll love the water down there. Even at most marinas, the water is
incredibly clear. A lot of fish use marinas as their nurseries and hunting
grounds, too. You'll see everything from tarpon and barracuda raising their
young to porpoises feeding.
The problems we had were mildew (not enough ventilation) and cockroaches.
They'll walk, fly, jump, and crawl over your mooring lines. Keep your boat
as clean as you can! Also, watch out for scorpions under things on the dock.
Other problems include UV (use sailcovers!), and keeping your engine running
cool. Also, Coasties, Florida Marine Patrol (FMP), and Customs are regular
visitors aboard (at all hours of the day and night, mind you). Also, even
federally documented boats need to register with the state of Florida.
We had a little dispute about that, but were unavoidably coerced into
paying state fees.
Otherwise, it's a blast cruising down there. If you are bringing your boat
down, porpoises will join you in the Carolinas. Sharks are with you way
out and inshore, but the barracuda are the most curious and will swim
right up to you to check you out. Baby porpoises will swing by, but the
adults in a pod will head away from you.
The grouper, grunts, and snapper are out -of-this-world delicious. Have fun!
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