Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

No, absolutely not. You will need something to hold it together other than
the luan. Maybe some epoxy or something like that. ;-)

Sorry, I got carried away. Sure you can but check with the designer to be
sure. Of course good marine ply is preferred but the luan will definitely
work.

Brian

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

You can certainly build something that is shaped like a boat. But, the
structural properties of lauan are so unreliable that putting your 'boat' in
the water is inadvisable, particularly if the water is more than knee-deep.
Use the materials that the designer specifies.

jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Joe,
I don't even think there is a 1/8 in 'Lauan' . . . do you mean 'Doorskins' ?

While using the material 'as is', is one BAD idea, using it as a
'sub-structure' could produce either a 'decent' boat, or a 'very good' boat.

There are a couple of designs for small boats {a man named Brown developed
one for a simple dory - I think he sold it to Clark-Craft}that use the stuff
.. . . encapsulated or overlaid with epoxy or epoxy-saturated cloth. In
addition there are many very successful plans for 'strip-built' boats
{sometimes called 'cold-molding'}. By using 1/8 in Lauan, the steps to cut
'slices' from '2x ' stock are eliminated. Be warned . . . the 'strips -
where ever they come from - are either coated or saturated with glue or
epoxy. Further, in 'modern' techniques, the hull is covered with a layer of
epoxy-saturated fiberglass cloth.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
...
You can certainly build something that is shaped like a boat. But, the
structural properties of lauan are so unreliable that putting your 'boat'
in
the water is inadvisable, particularly if the water is more than
knee-deep.
Use the materials that the designer specifies.

jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using
1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

TF Jones wrote about a tortured ply kayak made of thin marine plywood. He
said he would not want to hit anything with it. Canoe and kayak plans
often call for plywood thinner than 1/4". They are metric marine plywood
sizes with which I am not familiar.

I've made my three small aboats out of 1/5" (5.22 mm?) underlayment
plywood, lauan and virola. The lauan weighs 17 lb per sheet, the vriola
only 8.5 lb. Two boats are kept inside the garage when not in use and are
doing fine. I don't expect he one (virola) kept outside to last as long. I
wouldn't recommend the virola for longevity. There is info on the boats on
my website.
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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

I've never done it, so that may disqualify my thoughts on the matter
instantly but....

1/8 Luan is designed for use under soft flooring material, to level out
any imperfections in the sub-floor. That implies two things, 1) it has a
relatively high compressive strength, and 2) for short distances (1-3
inches) the tensile strength of the skinning material is pretty good.

I would think that coated on both sides with epoxy or polyester resin (
and gelcoat if poly) the material would be fine for small, one or two
person boats, less that 10-11 foot. Coated with good fiberglass, even
better.





jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Luan is used for subfloor under some types of flooring. It is a sort of
mahogany species. Meranti is sometimes the species used in luan plywood. Do
a google search for meranti plywood and you come up with boat building
results. If I were to build a skiff I would use 3/8" or 1/2" since 1/8"
luan will easily warp anywhere it needs to span any structural members.
"jotis" wrote in message
...
Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

sorry but the info below is incorrect. lauan underlayment is 1/5" thick (I
think that's 5.2 mm). it has a thick inner ply of rough wood that is
almost rods (sort of looks like fibreglass roving), and two thin face plys
one of which is smooth of light colour and the other rougher, full of worm
holes, and a reddish colour. there is a 1/8" thick lauan plywood called
"doorskin" because it's used to make hollow doors. it is not exterior
grade. I've used both plywoods in my small cheap boats. photos of the
Dogskiff and Loonie show boats made of lauan underlayment plywood , and
photos of the folding cabin show lauan doorskin plywood. neither is a
"marine" plywood but that didn't stop me from using them or from enjoying
the low cost boats made from them.


Dan ) writes:
I've never done it, so that may disqualify my thoughts on the matter
instantly but....

1/8 Luan is designed for use under soft flooring material, to level out
any imperfections in the sub-floor. That implies two things, 1) it has a
relatively high compressive strength, and 2) for short distances (1-3
inches) the tensile strength of the skinning material is pretty good.

I would think that coated on both sides with epoxy or polyester resin (
and gelcoat if poly) the material would be fine for small, one or two
person boats, less that 10-11 foot. Coated with good fiberglass, even
better.





jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph




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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

There is ZERO quality control in so-called 'lauan' underlayment. In its intended
use, as underlayment for your kitchen lino, it's expected to be flat and to
tolerate moderate compressive loads, nothing more. The only thing you can be
confident of is that it's 4' x 8' x 1/4". It's only flat if it's nailed to
something and its water resistance is frequently zilch. The species used varies
from lift to lift. That's why it costs $8/sheet.
Its use in boats should be limited to:
*patterns
*Cradle boats which are to be painted
*Small boats which will only be used in knee-deep water in gentle conditions.
*Boats used in the third world, where life is cheap ;-) .

Jim

"William R. Watt" wrote:

sorry but the info below is incorrect. lauan underlayment is 1/5" thick (I
think that's 5.2 mm). it has a thick inner ply of rough wood that is
almost rods (sort of looks like fibreglass roving), and two thin face plys
one of which is smooth of light colour and the other rougher, full of worm
holes, and a reddish colour. there is a 1/8" thick lauan plywood called
"doorskin" because it's used to make hollow doors. it is not exterior
grade. I've used both plywoods in my small cheap boats. photos of the
Dogskiff and Loonie show boats made of lauan underlayment plywood , and
photos of the folding cabin show lauan doorskin plywood. neither is a
"marine" plywood but that didn't stop me from using them or from enjoying
the low cost boats made from them.

Dan ) writes:
I've never done it, so that may disqualify my thoughts on the matter
instantly but....

1/8 Luan is designed for use under soft flooring material, to level out
any imperfections in the sub-floor. That implies two things, 1) it has a
relatively high compressive strength, and 2) for short distances (1-3
inches) the tensile strength of the skinning material is pretty good.

I would think that coated on both sides with epoxy or polyester resin (
and gelcoat if poly) the material would be fine for small, one or two
person boats, less that 10-11 foot. Coated with good fiberglass, even
better.





jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph



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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Dan wrote in message .. .
I've never done it, so that may disqualify my thoughts on the matter
instantly but....

1/8 Luan is designed for use under soft flooring material, to level out
any imperfections in the sub-floor. That implies two things, 1) it has a
relatively high compressive strength, and 2) for short distances (1-3
inches) the tensile strength of the skinning material is pretty good.

I would think that coated on both sides with epoxy or polyester resin (
and gelcoat if poly) the material would be fine for small, one or two
person boats, less that 10-11 foot. Coated with good fiberglass, even
better.


The problem is that inner layer. Like William said, it is like rods
and frequently has voids that run full length or nearly, hidden under
the skins. Many times these voids do not show up until you cut, sand,
or snap the piece putting it in. Anyway, the fact that the center is
harder wood, and frequently void filled, it makes the softer outer
skins prone to snapping, much like scoring a tile or piece of glass
then bending it...
Scotty




jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Backyard Renegade ) writes:

The problem is that inner layer. Like William said, it is like rods
and frequently has voids that run full length or nearly, hidden under
the skins. Many times these voids do not show up until you cut, sand,
or snap the piece putting it in. Anyway, the fact that the center is
harder wood, and frequently void filled, it makes the softer outer
skins prone to snapping, much like scoring a tile or piece of glass
then bending it...
Scotty

the voids are easy to find. you take the plywood into a dark room and run
a reading lamp over the surface while looking at the other side. any voids
show up where the light shines through the thin suface layer.

the voids are easy to fill. drill small holes though the face ply and pump
in clauk with a calking gun. I prefer to pump in PL Premium polyurethane
construction adhesive to fill the voids. You have to put a piece of tape
over the wood and drill through it to keep the goop from getting on the wood.

I've used the same drill-and-pump technique to repair a split plywood
daggerboard. Once the goop was pumped into the spit layers the board was
wrapped in plastic and weighed down flat overnight to cure. Still
using that daggerboard.
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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 10:28:33 -0500, "jotis"
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Yes! Of course! It may well sink.

This has been a very interesting little talk guys. But where is the OP
after 8 days?

Perhaps the boat was to be used for ....trolling?
************************************************** ** sorry
remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Spike....Spike? Hello?

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Backyard Renegade ) writes:

Again I would suggest that this may be fine for you, with your
experience, but I still would not reccomend it to any first time
builder.
Scotty from SmallBoats.com, where you can see my little pieces of crap
;)

Its infinitely simpler than stripper, lapped strake, or plank on frame
techniques novices use after reading, say, Moore, Hill or Bheuler(?). I
can't imagine pumping goop as a challenge for novices at all. I dreamed it
up when building my first boat. When I posted it here other boatbuilders
reported filling voids in much the same way. Solving problems is one of
the fun things about building almost anything. I note in boatbuilding
books the authours can't resist describing the tools, jigs, and techniques
they dreamed up to solve problems. :)






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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

On 26 Jan 2004 16:30:21 GMT, (William R.
Watt) wrote:

Backyard Renegade ) writes:

The problem is that inner layer. Like William said, it is like rods
and frequently has voids that run full length or nearly, hidden under
the skins. Many times these voids do not show up until you cut, sand,
or snap the piece putting it in. Anyway, the fact that the center is
harder wood, and frequently void filled, it makes the softer outer
skins prone to snapping, much like scoring a tile or piece of glass
then bending it...
Scotty

the voids are easy to find. you take the plywood into a dark room and run
a reading lamp over the surface while looking at the other side. any voids
show up where the light shines through the thin suface layer.

the voids are easy to fill. drill small holes though the face ply and pump
in clauk with a calking gun. I prefer to pump in PL Premium polyurethane
construction adhesive to fill the voids. You have to put a piece of tape
over the wood and drill through it to keep the goop from getting on the wood.

I've used the same drill-and-pump technique to repair a split plywood
daggerboard. Once the goop was pumped into the spit layers the board was
wrapped in plastic and weighed down flat overnight to cure. Still
using that daggerboard.

Or......................one could just use adequate materials in the
first place.

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

P.C. Ford ) writes:

Or......................one could just use adequate materials in the
first place.

"adequate"? PC Ford is recommending the use of "adequate" materials?
What happend to "superior"?



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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

On 27 Jan 2004 16:26:23 GMT, (William R.
Watt) wrote:

P.C. Ford ) writes:

Or......................one could just use adequate materials in the
first place.

"adequate"? PC Ford is recommending the use of "adequate" materials?
What happend to "superior"?

Sorry. If I am not mistaken, I have never used the term superior for
the boat building materials I recommend. I've stated that using
standard marine building materials is much more rewarding. You
advocate using doorskins and other substandard trash materials.

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

Backyard Renegade ) writes:

I can't even argue with you about this anymore, it is useless. I will
say it one last time, everyone who reads your posts here is not as
experienced or as lerned as you, and to so hardheadedly advocate luan
and polyester the way you do is just irresponsible. I myself do
reccomend these materials to several folks a year, but only after one
on one exchange and a good understanding of the questioners needs and
abilities. I have nothing against these materials when used by someone
who knows what they are, what they can and can't do, how to rapair
them, how to build the rest of the boat in such a manner as to
accomodate their weak characteristics..... etc... ugh...
Scotty from SmallBoats.com, peace dude.

I've never written "don't use marine plywood or epoxy resin". I only write
objections when people write "only use marine plywood and epoxy". I'm not
writing any less responsibly than yourself with whom I happen to agree.
I had no experience when I did not use marine plywood or epoxy although I
had read a few books and read what people were writing in this newsgroup.
It's not rocket science, as you Yanks say.

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Luan 1/8" for skiff?
 

You can but you'll have to laminate both the inside and outside hull
with fiberglass cloth. ^ ounce weight minimum. Make sure it's exterior
grade too.

jotis wrote:

Do you think it is possible to build an 8-foot skiff or dinghy using 1/8"
luan?

Joseph