You have more confidence in OSB (or as I call it "Chip Board", among other
names).

OSB begins to become unstable even near the presents of moisture. Even if
you cover it inside and out, the moisture will find it's way in and crack or
break the seal of anything you coat it with..

Additionally, OSB has very little tensile strength, an important
characteristic in any water craft. To over come this you would need very
closely spaced frames and stringers, thus adding weight and cost.

My comments are not intended to "rain on your parade". If you must
economize, try using CDX play and your plans would have a much better chance
of success.

My opinion and experience, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

It would be an interesting experiment.
I would not expect the boat to last more than a season or two.
I would not take it very far from shore, ie how far can you swim?

In addition to the other things written here about OSB I'd also consider:
- how resistant would the spray on truck bed liner be to scrapes? If the
chips get wet they will swell. I'd put a pair of skids on the bottom to
protect the hull from scrapes in hopes the boat would last longer.
- once the chips in the board get wet and start to swell like the stuff
you see left uncovered in sheds and other buidlings, I imagine it would be
very difficult to make watertight again, ie hard to repair and keep
watertight once it starts to go.
- there's so much glue in OSB the boat will be heavier than plywood.
I'd take a pair of bathroom scales to the lumber yard and weight a sheet,
then calculate the weight of the boat before building it.

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On 9 Jan 2005 20:36:55 GMT, (William R.
Watt) wrote:


- there's so much glue in OSB the boat will be heavier than plywood.

The OSB board provided to wall a garden shed that we put up last year,
came with a flyer that explained that it is made by hot pressing
chips so that the resin bonds the material.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

Brian-
Is the garden shed on its way to being the compost heap?

I would strongly recommend that such a boat only be used in water
shallow enough to walk to shore.


Brian Whatcott wrote:

The OSB board provided to wall a garden shed that we put up last year,
came with a flyer that explained that it is made by hot pressing
chips so that the resin bonds the material.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 20:42:58 GMT, Brian Whatcott
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

On 9 Jan 2005 20:36:55 GMT, (William R.
Watt) wrote:


- there's so much glue in OSB the boat will be heavier than plywood.

The OSB board provided to wall a garden shed that we put up last year,
came with a flyer that explained that it is made by hot pressing
chips so that the resin bonds the material.


Yes, but which resin? G

Chipboard has been made with, IIRC, Formaldehyde glues for years. They
may have changed, but I doubt there is no glue in there. Whatever, the
stuff is extremely strength/weight challenged, and does not like
moisture.