What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.

Ted W Lee ) writes:
What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.

Depends on the application and on the builder.
What kind of boat did you have in mind?
How do you intend to use the boat?
How much do you have to spend?
How long do you want the boat to last?



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William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
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Marine grade fir plywood is just fine structurally and OK in decay resistance. It's hard to get a good paint finish on it 'cause the grain tends to raise. So, if it's going to be glassed or hidden, it's OK. For good quality small boats where little is hidden, the better grades have become widely used.
...
What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.

I built an 18 ft skiff out of CD-X, the cheapest of the cheap. I glassed
the outside and have been slowly glassing all of the inside. Sure would
have been easier earlier. The inside checked looked pretty sorry before
glassing.
Dave
"Ted W Lee" wrote in message
...
What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.

douglas fir plywood is know to check (split into surface cracks). I've not
used it but read that it is worse if the boat is left out in the sun. Even
the marine grade will check since it's all from the same tree. The
solution is to cover withe fibreglass and resin to a certain thickness
which I'm afraid I don't know. That would mean starting with thinner
plywood and building up thickness and strength with the fibreglass.
Fibreglass being heavier than wood, you have to allow for the extra weight
in the design.

meranti, another cheap plywood related to lauan, doesn't check like
douglas fir.

the poster asked what kind of plywood is used. a popular marine plywood is
okume. it weighs the same as lauan underlayment, about 1 pound per square
foot for 1/4 inch thick plywood (the lauan is metric and is actually 1/5
inch). as far as weight calculations go they can be substituted in design
calcualtions. I belive okume is the least expensive marine plywood after
douglas fir. I can't be definite because I've never used marine plywood of
any kind. I just looked into it a few years ago. One sheet was $50 in this
area. A sheet of lauan underlayment was $13. That's Canadian dollars.

"Dave W" ) writes:
I built an 18 ft skiff out of CD-X, the cheapest of the cheap. I glassed
the outside and have been slowly glassing all of the inside. Sure would
have been easier earlier. The inside checked looked pretty sorry before
glassing.
Dave
"Ted W Lee" wrote in message
...
What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.





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William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

Ted,
Just for reference purposes . . .

About 8 years ago I built a Bolger 'RUBENS NYMPH' for a customer. Being a
'prudent' sailor, I tend to build the same way. The scantlings/frames were a
bit heavier then called out - 1/2 in vs 1/4 in - but were from 'shop
scraps'. The transoms were 3/4 in Lauan ply{vs the 1/4 in called out}. All
'wood-to-wood' joints were attached with epoxy/wood flour fillets. The hull
joints were further reinforced with embedded f'glass tape. The EXTERIOR was
covered with epoxy/ 6oz f'glass. All permanent fastenings were either Marine
Bronze of Stainless Steel.

I did a 'Yacht Finish'. The transoms {exterior}were stained, epoxy glassed,
and given 3 coats of UV varnish. The remaining exterior was given 2 coats of
primer, followed by 2 coats of oil based White marine paint. The INTERIOR
{including the interior faces of the transoms}was given 2 coats of water
based Home Depot 'house brand' primer, then 2 coats of the same brand paint
in a 'Gloucester Tan'. The center-line thwart {again, a 1x12 slab of
Philippine Mahogany {Lauan}}got 4 coats of a UV resistant varnish.

About a year ago, I got a telephone call. It was the original buyer. He had
moved and the during this transition the bottom skeg had been broken off.
Could I replace it ? Certainly I could - there was no 'pattern' as such, it
had to be 'spiled' to the shape of the bottom, but no big deal. {BEAR in
mind . . . when he first picked it up I gave him 'instructions' that the
boat had to be given 'reasonable' care. Cleaning when it got dirty, touch-up
nicks & dings that breached the finish, don't let it collect standing water,
store it well off the ground & allow air circulation, etc.}

When I got there to take measurements & see what he wanted done, she was
upside down with both transoms on damp, flat 'patio blocks' and barely above
the churned up dirt. She looked, 'rode hard & put away wet'. The bottom was
dirty & the paint chipped. The transoms were covered with dried splashed
dirt & pine needles - yet the gleam & color of that 'Classic Varnished
Mahogany' was still there.

A closer look at the bottom showed it was covered with chips & bare areas
where the paint/primer was completely gone. The skeg was completely gone but
the screws were still there. However, thumping & probing indicated that the
hull was SOUND and SOLID as the day she left my shop. We turned her over - I
wanted to see the area around the screw-heads heads. That's when I saw the
REAL damage. The layers of varnish, epoxy, f'glass, & 1st ply {stained
veneer}were there, but the underlying plys were 80 to 100 percent rotted
away !! The MOLD SPORES had simply come right up, from the ground and into
the wood. Between thru-bolting handles to the transoms - without properly
sealing the holes, not cleaning & maintaining the finish, and storing in
physical contact with the ground - this boat was sadly doomed.

The point of all of this ??? You can employ the absolute BEST and MOST
EXPENSIVE materials - but if you don't give your boat a modicum of
attention - she's temporary at best. HOWEVER, there is no reason NOT to use
'marginal' materials . . . or simply those 'at hand' . . . and take a bit of
care in the building. Follow this with good attention and regular
maintenance . . . and you just might be able to give her to your children.

Regards & Good Luck,

Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
{PS - Pictures of 'Nymph' available. Also - we have a dug-out canoe at the
Club that is probably 100-years old}

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
SNIP
.. . . lauan underlayment, about 1 pound per square foot for 1/4 inch thick
plywood (the lauan is metric and is actually 1/5 inch). as far as weight
calculations go they can be substituted in design calcualtions. I belive
okume is the least expensive marine plywood . . .SNIP
One sheet was $50 in this area. A sheet of lauan underlayment was $13.
That's Canadian dollars.

SNIP
"Ted W Lee" wrote in message
...
What's the current "favorite" for building boats?
Ted in Mich.