On Jul 6, 8:38 am, "Island Teak" wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message

...

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:05:37 -0000, Two meter troll
wrote:

Probably some of the last commercial sailing boats were the Bugis
schooners from S. Sulawasi that didn't use bamboo to build their
boats.

A good place to see a large number of Bugis built traditional schooners is
in Surabaya city on the east end of Java, just prior to the shift in winds
to return them to Sulawasi.

Still doesn;t make bamboo a good boat building material.

I have neve used bamboo on the water, but I did build a traditional bamboo
house years ago and watched the structual integrity of the bamboo break down
over a few years. I should add that this was a stilt house with ample air
circulation with a dry climate for at least 6 months of the year. Best
thing about a bamboo house is that you get a nice, new fresh house every few
years.

However, if someone is quite determined to use bamboo research into the
numerous varieties of bamboo. There is one bamboo in Thailand, that is solid
and used often for tool handles such as a garden hoe handle.

Bruce, this is the bamboo that has the very sharp thorns, would know the
scientific name ?

...Ken



Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeatgmaildotcom)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Was the bamboo treated in any way? How many years did it last. I am
planning to get two poles and treating two masts. The idea is that if
I get five years per mast then I have a good inexpensive beautiful
lightweight mast that will go ten years. Thats not too bad for a $100
and a little build time. If they last 10 years each I will be
extremely happy. I plan to treat them and plug the ends so that the
inside wont get wet at all even with the epoxy coating. I also will
take the seecond mast the first few sails and the first few long sails
just in case I push too hard or just screw up and break a mast. I
really want to use bamboo for the look and weight.