In salt water, that's an easy one, no... yearly is still the standard. In saltwater the big concern is worms. I haven't meet anyone with a wooden boat yet who has problems with worms, if they repaint yearly with a thick, hard paint, like Trinidad, or maybe West Marine's equivalent. The exception to this is the worm shoe or other areas that may have had the paint scraped off. (I can't speak to whether the yearly standard applies to freshwater use.)

Since replacing keel timbers are exceedingly time consuming, thus costly, if you can even find someone who knows how, it is best to not take the chance. In saltwater, those that have beat the odds of going longer than a year have done so out of luck, not planning.

For extra protection against worms with the worm shoe, include tar paper when replacing it, or sections of it and the thicker the paper the better. To use tar paper effectively, slather a layer of roofing tar on the worm shoe's faying surface, cover the tar with a layer of tar paper, slather on another layer of roofing tar on top of the paper, heave the whole lot into place and fasten on.

Although we try not to go aground with our boat, a wood boat, occasionally we do and I can tell you from personal experience that some saltwater critters can and do eat through tar, so by interplacing some tar paper you'll increase the odds in your favor of persuading the more persistent bugs from getting into the harder-to-replace keel timbers.

Talking about groundings, on our boat, the record for the most groundings belongs to me, but Jill has the record for the biggest. However, I have the best excuse, because, when Jill comes topsides in her thong, I tend to get distracted... all those tattoos! I just have to study them. I find myself particularly partial to the large sailing Dhow, but its the anchor, well, its placement anyways, that's most intriguing!

Rudy
Briney Bug, Panama City, Fl

Rudy
Over here, wooden gulets in the charter trade get pulled every two
years..... as required by law, for inspection and recertification.

Otherwise, my neighbor, a 60+foot wooden gulet is going on 3+ years
before pulling.

Paint here used is two part marine epoxy.....

Lee

On 8 Jan 12, at 2:45 , Rudy and Jill wrote:

In salt water, that's an easy one, no... yearly is still the standard.
In saltwater the big concern is worms. I haven't meet anyone with a
wooden boat yet who has problems with worms, if they repaint yearly
with a thick, hard paint, like Trinidad, or maybe West Marine's
equivalent. The exception to this is the worm shoe or other areas that
may have had the paint scraped off. (I can't speak to whether the
yearly standard applies to freshwater use.)....