and half because the skills and know how have always been a familiar and attainable skill here, like oil changes. It takes more work in the tropics but I know a local boat that sails nearly every day throughout the year, summers in Maine, winters in the Caribbean, and the family sails it back and forth. Their 50' schooner is nearly all brightwork being wooden construction.

They just double up some areas of their schooner with a bi-annual recoat in the tropics. But they're boat builders, the wife does all the brightwork. To stay year round in the Tropical sun would probably add another re-coat. You sun is harder on everything on a boat.

Still, it's work and a B40 will never be as popular down south as up north, partly because of the brightwork maintenance, and partly because of how the design performs.

Paint is popular here too, but I think a boat has to be designed for it to be the right choice.

Taking care of a boat yourself that has a lot of brightwork does take time(or the money to have someone else do it).

It's a labor of love that you do before the season, then forget about it. It's a lot less time consuming than gardening and ends at launch.