Meranti for frames?

[BrianY]

I have a source of dark red Meranti (a.k.a. Phillipine Mahogany)for reasonable $$ and I'm wondering about it's suitability for use for fames, chines, stem, transom etc. for a skiff. The original plans call for white oak or Honduras Mahogany. The skiff will be copper fastened, lapped planks - no epoxy.

Thanks.

[JimD]

I've built a skiff with meranti plywood but the frames were doug fir. Meranti ain't oak, but I bet it will do fine for a small skiff, especially if its epoxy glued. I doubt if I'd ever frame a boat in oak, or use it much beyond mast hoops for its bending quality, due to the cost, even though the original plans may call for it.

[Bob Cleek]

The Philipine mahognay you are contemplating is not suitable for frames. As you are planking clinker, you can likely expect it to give you fits when fastening plank. My guess is it'd split on you quite a bit. There's a reason the designer specified particular woods for particular uses. Given the value of your time and labor, there's no reason to short change yourself and skimp on a little bit of oak or whatever.

[Paul Pless]

Holy smokes, Bob is back.

[capt jake]

Welcome back Bob! smile.gif We have missed you. smile.gif

[Phil Young]

Shootin from the hip though. The reference to chines suggests a hard chined skiff, so I'm guessing we aren't dealing with much in the way of bending. Meranti is regularly used in Oz for framing plywood boats, stem, keel timbers, chines, transom frames, stringers. Should be OK on that basis.

[ 08-16-2004, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: Phil Young ]

[Keith Wilson]

Meranti seems to vary a lot, or maybe it's just that several different species are sold under that name (just like oak gets whiter the farther it is from the forest). If it's reasonably dark and dense, I bet it would work fine for sawn frames. You might want to increase the dimensions slightly over an equivalent piece of oak, but if the designer specified white oak or Honduras Mahogany, that's a pretty wide range of strength, so you've got a bit of leeway. I suspect the intent was "a reasonably strong wood that holds fasteners well." The red stuff is pretty when varnished, too.

Steam-bending is another matter; I don't know enough about it to say anything useful.

Hi Bob! Welcome back, and for God's sake, stay out of the bilge; some days it'll make you want to leave the planet.

[ 08-17-2004, 10:10 AM: Message edited by: Keith Wilson ]

[Bob Cleek]

Hi there! Yea, it's me. Actually, my internet crashed... a long story, the usual screw-ups with the service providers. So... that and a whole bunch of work just kept me outta da loop.

Not to start a pissin' contest right out of the box or anything, BUT... the poster did say "copper fastened, lapped planks, no epoxy." Now that suggests traditional copper riveted lapstrake construction. While it's true that there's a lot of variation in wood quality in the so-called "Phillipine Mahoganies," I don't think they are as suitable for traditional clinker construction as, certainly, oak. Besides, odds are the frames are intended to be steam bent, which rules out the PM anyhow. What could the bending oak you'd need for a small boat's framing possibly cost anyhow?

[JimD]

For sure, nothing beats oak for steam bent frames, or maybe even sawn frames if you have the money, so Brian, how about tell us more about your proposed boat?

[BrianY]

To clarify - I was wondering about meranti's suitability for sawn - not bent - frames for one of the two skiff projects I'm contemplating (see below).


so Brian, how about tell us more about your proposed boat?

After many years of searching for the "perfect" first boat building project, I've got it narrowed down to two possibilities: A 14 foot version of Richard Kolin's Heidi skiff or Harry Bryan's 15 foot Daisy dory skiff. I thought I was all set on Kolin skiff until I happened to see a article in an old issue of WB on building the 12 foot version of the Bryan skiff. I talked to Harry at the WoodenBoat show - what a nice guy! - and discovered that he had plans for a 15 foot version. It's a little more complex than the Kolin skiff (both sawn and steam bent frames, two more laps to fit) but not so much that it's going to be significantly harder to build. As I see it, the Bryan skiff would give me a more "complete" building experience, so it might be more satisfying to build.

So I am now trying to find sources for materials whle I make up my mind. I'm going over the Daisy plans and compiling a list of questions for Harry. Obviously, if I build Daisy, I'll have to use white oak for the bent frames and will use it for the sawn frames as well.

[ 08-18-2004, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: BrianY ]

[Kermit]

Works fine for sawn frames, ayup. Done that. But what Bob said's right.

[Wild Dingo]

Was there any doubt? I mean BOBS DA MAN!!! tongue.gif :D What he dont know wouldnt fill a shot glass in a brothel :eek: Well it wouldnt!! :rolleyes:

Hows Martha mate? ;) and its good to see you back in fine fettle ol son :cool:

Oh good luck with the skiff Brian :cool:

[Paul Frederiksen]

There is a rumor out that Bob is Back....

[Paul Frederiksen]

Oh, and although it has always been a policy of my to argue with Bob, he is right on this one. Buy the oak you are going to need the strength and someone else really needs that PH mohogany for their dining room table or book case.