Woodies
It is the Coeur d’Alene Wooden Boat Festival this weekend. We’ve been to the Sandpoint wooden boat festival two years running but haven’t made it to the Coeur d’Alene one yet. Maybe this will be our year. I like wooden boats. I wouldn’t want to own one, but do enjoy their look. They have much more character than an aluminum or fiberglass boat, and usually neater shapes as well. Unfortunately, they are also a lot more upkeep. Upkeep is why (assuming I don’t win millions in the lottery) I will never own one. I barely keep up with my current fiberglass boat, and basically all it needs is a good waxing on occasion. What are the odds I’d manage the sanding, staining and refinishing of a wooden boat?
If you’ve ever seen me pull up to the dock, you’d run. Er, know that I make entirely too much use of my bumpers and prayer. If not reduced to splinters, I would end up with a dock-shaped hole in the hull in no time. Really, considering my fine nautical skills, I shouldn’t be driving anything short of an aluminum boat, loaded with styrofoam and powered by a very weak trolling motor. So, no wooden boat for me, but I’m still taking the wife to check out all the fancy woodies down at the lake.
