Wood choice

[MSMurray]

I've been woodworking for a bit and I've been thinking about building a boat, but i don't know much about boat building. my main question is what wood should you use (it would be in salt water).

i know teak and mahogany are popular, but I've seen stuff where pine or cedar are used, and these woods are a lot cheaper making my inevitable mistakes cost less. so does it mater what wood you use or is it more it the construction and the finish that you put on.

also if there's any good sites about this that you could direct me to that would be great.

i was thinking of building this Yankee Tender (http://www.woodenboatstore.com/124-Yankee-Tender/productinfo/400%2D011/)

[Thorne]

I'll try not to be TOO curmudgeonly here, but asking what wood should be used for building 'a boat' is much like asking which make better wives, blondes or brunettes...

No one expects....

http://firebreathingchristian.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/monty-python-spanish-inquisition.jpg
...the Wooden Boat Inquisition!!!



This can be done the easy way, where you tell us what design, exact materials and their dimensions, etc ---- or the hard way, where we attempt to pry the information outa you bit by painful bit.

You decide....

Just don't make us bring out...THE COMFY CHAIR !!!




The size, design, use, budget, storage / transport and a gazillion other factors about the boat help determine what materials should be used -- and even then there is a lot of room for personal judgment.

We can help answer your questions much better if we know where in the wide world you are located, and may be able to direct you to local resources.

Update your location by using the Private Messages link on the left in the brown menu bar above. Once in the Private Messages area, click the link on the left under "My Profile" called "Edit Profile", then scroll down to the Additional Information section and put in your location. Then scroll all the way to the bottom and click the SAVE CHANGES button.

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[wizbang 13]

brunettes

[outofthenorm]

Yup. Brunettes indeed.

As for wood: first boat - Yankee Tender - it's a simple boat and a fine choice. Use what you have easy access to - cypress would be about perfect for all the planking, with something harder (white oak, or greenheart, for example) for the stem and skeg. Douglas fir or white cedar would be fine planking as well.

- Norm

[Cogeniac]

Blondes...

And your first boat should be entirely made from either Ipe or Teak.. so as you will get used to the costs involved with Blondes and boats..Ipe will cost you a fortune in tool wear, and Teak will just cost you a fortune..

[Bob Smalser]

.... my main question is what wood should you use (it would be in salt water).

Buying local is least expensive, and almost always best. Native trees and local sawmills and vendors. In Florida you have easy access to Baldcypress and Atlantic White Cedar for planking, and Live Oak and Longleaf Pine for framing. Also the occasional mahogany log or other exotic yard tree from an arborist.

Depends on how you'll use the boat. Baldcypress planking is tough but relatively heavy....cedar is extremely light but relatively fragile. Live Oak bends easily but doesn't make straight boards very well....Longleaf or Slash Pine remains dead-straight but doesn't bend easily. You can also use Baldcypress for framing, as it's only around 15% weaker than typical softwoods used for framing like Doug Fir or Longleaf Pine. While you can use wood kilned for indoor use, you are better off obtaining partially dried stock that hasn't been kilned much below 20% moisture content. Your planking should be at around 12-14% MC when you hang it...so it doesn't shrink or swell excessively at launch....and your framing stock can be either green or dry when you use it....but green bends easier.

All the wood you use must be 100% heartwood, otherwise it will rot quickly. That can be harder to find in Longleaf, but there's a good bit of reclaimed and sinker stock available where you are. Stay clear of "White Pine", as what the stores sell isn't what the boatbuilding books talk about, and the wrong pine will rot while you watch. You also want vertical grain planking stock if you can get it, but that may be impossible if local logs being milled are relatively small in diameter.

Woodweb below has a lumber exchange; Woodfinder lists sawyers and vendors by state, and you can always seek out a nearby forester or sawyer to ask who has lumber on one of their forums. Don't ignore your local arborists. While you'll have to buy your planking, if a local arborist has a suitable log in an ornamental species that splits easily....like White Oak, Black Walnut or Sassafras, you can get out your own green framing stock with a couple steel wedges and an 8lb hammer. You don't need much for only one boat. You might even find that mahogany log for your transom and thwarts.

http://woodweb.com/
http://woodfinder.com/
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php

[TerryLL]

i was thinking of building this Yankee Tender (http://www.woodenboatstore.com/124-Yankee-Tender/productinfo/400%2D011/)

The plank stock specified for the Yankee Tender is Maine cedar, though the original was planked in white pine. This particular design can also be easily built in plywood.

Any decent plan set will give you some guidance on the appropriate woods to use for various parts, and perhaps suitable substitutes.

[jclays]

Gluing and screwing the transom together this morning. Will then layout and cut out the sides.
Keep forgeting my camara at work. Will snap some pictures before assembling.