Opinions and European GRP over wood hulls

Well most of the Italian built wooden hull Med. boats are planning type with top speeds between 25 and about 35 knots max. The larger end is around 30m or 100'.

Most are built by old school tradesman and old school Italian boat builders who know what they are doing and have done it for a very long time. Nowadays they are importing some hulls from Turkey and finishing out as the old craftsman die out and the hulls are cheaper made by skilled Turkish hand rather than skilled Italian hands or French or generally European hands... Love to visit the old yards, I think my first post in YF was about an Italian builder of such boats... Castagnola
http://www.castagnola.biz/en/il-cantiere/#.VavRAHg04_U

they are getting very much fewer... the PISA boats were really nice from that era... no more all fiberglass.

Prior to 1960 I doubt any had fiberglass over the bottom. From from then to about 1975-80 I would be worried a little if they polyester resins rather than epoxy for the fiberglass covering.

Generally they will last forever if given care and not rotted out from the bilge. As wooden boats you need a surveyor who knows that stuff. They are usually easy for skilled people to repair... just don't run the thing on the rocks as the French Esterel built Acajou was but even that has been repaired....
http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/data/500/001s.jpg

Danvilletim...
If you go and visit the Castagnoia yard... they have a nice 18m sport fisherman for sale... been up on the market quite awhile... really nice shape and at the builders yard... if that is what you are looking for I can absolutely recommend this one and I suppose you will have a nice lunch with Giovanni discussing the details...

http://www.castagnola.biz/en/il-nostro-usato-2/#.VavxYng04_U

It´s definitely quite an attractive boat you found there, especially considering the price. Generally the italian builders during the 1980s knew pretty well what they were doing and that yard was one of the better ones. So it all comes down to the question of quality concerning the refit/remodelling of that motoryacht. If that boat looks like your fantasy of your boat get a qualified surveyor (I could recommend one or two here in Europe) and take a look at it. If condition and quality of craftsmanship are right that one would be an attractive yacht at a very attractive price for that size.

The problem with that boat is that it looks everything but a Cantieri di Pisa 28 Akhir of the era. That refit is over done in my book.

Castagnola and Diano both located close to each other where some of the last builders going on to work like this. The first is still open the second is closed.
Another super builder of lamellar wood boats would be Camuffo, which are long standing 500 year old builder from Venice.
If you are in Venice a visit to the Camuffo's is a must. I know that they have an uncompleted 65 footer for sale at the moment which is as any Camuffo very special.

Unfortunately this art is fast dieing out in Italy, and yes the only country building this way in Europe might end up being Turkey.