Keel timber: laminate? change wood?

[ken.bryant]

The plans for "Maid of Endor" call for a white oak 4 x 6 for the keel. No local suppliers hold out any hope of getting that here. They can, however, get me lots of Doug fir in the right dimensions.

Advice? Am I better to laminate the keel from two oak 2 x 6s, or use a single fir 4 x 6? If I use fir, do I need to increase the size to achieve the same strength?

[Jay Greer]

Larry Pardey has used laminated timbers on both of his boats.
JG

[mmd]

If you can get a nice high ring-count old growth D. Fir, use it. If you can't, I'd laminate 3 horizontally stacked D. fir planks.

[ken.bryant]

mmd -- would you use that fir (either solid or laminated) at the same scantlings as the plans call for in oak?

[mmd]

Maybe add an extra bit of moulding to compensate for the lower tensile strength and higher elasticity of DF. Say, make the keel 4" x 7".