U.S.S. Constitution , in 1949, exhibited extensive damage from marine borers, insects and decay. In the 1970's much hull planking was replaced from the top of the bulwark to a few feet below the waterline. The USS Constellation , in Baltimore since 1955, with hogged keel, open deck seams, topside planking seams open to the weather, and knees and frames decaying, has serious structural problems. Does the owner let her sit and decay, tow her out to sea and let her sink, or spend money for needed repairs. With the only logical solution being repair, full advantage must be taken of the wood laminating process and pressure preservative treatment to make her highly resistant to decay and with a minimum of annual maintenance.
Wood is a renewable and most versatile construction material.
There will always be enough wood for boats. Wood is economical and structurally efficient. It will decay if used in certain atmospheres when not pressure preservatively treated to define retentions and penetrations. Without preservative treatment, wood ships will surely be on a slow, downhill slide. Preservative treatments protect wood if outdoors fully exposed to the weather without roof cover, when in ground contact, when indoors in high humidity atmospheres, and for marine applications.