Marine Plywood

[Alan Peck]

It has been arpund three years since I last bought marine plywood. I purchased Marine Fir and was very pleased with the quality.

In any event, a friend of a friend wants to build a wood boat and wants to know where to find marine ply.

I live in Tallahassee Florida and when I was looking all I could find was World Panel Products in Riviera Beach Florida (400 Miles) or Tampa (300 miles).

Does anyone know of a closer location to my area?

Thanks

[SaltyD from BC]

My grasp of Florida geography sucks Alan, but if Vero Beach isn't too far away these guys have a good selection.

http://www.bateau.com/

Interestingly up here the price of Doug Fir marine plywood is right up there with the best mahogany these days! I went with Okoume (sp?) for an upcomming project...

[SamSam]

I was just in Lowe's (like Home Depot) a few hours ago and they had what they called marine plywood 3/4" AB fir for $70 a sheet.

[Alan Peck]

SAM SAM: I don't know if you expect to be back in Lowes anytime soon. But if you do, could you find out a little more about what they were calling Marine Plywood. For example, how many plys and is there a stamp on the plywood and if so what does it say.

That's a great price for 3/4 inch if it is in fact Marine Plywood.

Thanks

Alan

[Trisailing]

Hey Alan,
I live in Tallahassee too. I have bought plywood from Bateau. Very good stuff, made in france. Shipping is where they get you, so it pays to have it shipped to a business address.
Mike

[kenjamin]

Alan and Mike, I just got off the phone with Lou at Ro-Mac Lumber on Madison St. (just north of Gaines), Tallahassee, FL. They sell 3/8" marine fir for $64.58 plus tax. Fir is harder to finish but if you're going to fiberglass anyway, it could work well for the budget minded builder. There would be no shipping as they have it in stock and you could say you are not destroying rain forests to build a boat. I confess I just got through building a Caledonia Yawl here in Tallahassee and used the good stuff (Sapelle) from World Panel and yes the shipping was a killer! It is a little cheaper to ship if you have them cut each sheet down to a six foot length and a 2' x 4' piece. That's what I did when I ran out of ply and needed just a little bit more for planking. Call me at FSU Physics, 644-1294, if you want to talk boats or go for a sail on a CY with a funky birdwing mast.
http://ford.physics.fsu.edu/XenaSail0569.jpg

[Alan Peck]

kenjamin: Thanks for the info. For some reason I thought Ro-Mac no longer carried any marine plywood.

By the way, its great to know there are other wooden boat builders in the area.

I work at FSU as well. I'll give you a call one of these days.

Alan

[Alan Peck]

Kenjamin: I see the "FL" number on the boat, but it sure doesn't look like Florida where you are sailing. I am curious as to where the photo was taken.

[Trisailing]

I was thinking the same thing, Just where are you? Looks like fun. I'll have to look you guys up. I'm in the middle of refiting my cabo rico for world cruiseing. Hope to be done by the end of the year. I really liked the Woodenboat article on interior fitout and design. I have done some of the same things with mocking up the interior, but I have also built small scale models to test out ideas. Really helps to visualize it, to see if something will work without alot of work.
Mike

[SamSam]

SAM SAM: I don't know if you expect to be back in Lowes anytime soon. But if you do, could you find out a little more about what they were calling Marine Plywood. For example, how many plys and is there a stamp on the plywood and if so what does it say.

That's a great price for 3/4 inch if it is in fact Marine Plywood.

Thanks

Alan
I searched around on Lowe's website a few days ago to see if there were any stores close around you that had any in stock, but Brunswick was the only store in upper Fl or south Ga that has any. I went there today, the price is $74.14 a sheet. 7 plys, the piece I looked at had 20 football plugs on one side and 3 on the other, there were a few small 1/4" voids per edge per sheet. There were no face stamps, but down the end of the stack was lettering about the size as in this post, so each sheet had 3 or so repetitive lines that said MARINE A-B-EXT-ABA-367-PS1-35. The 1-35 part was sort of smeary, but I think that's what it was. The stuff was very flat and fairly light, like fir.

[kenjamin]

The photo of Xena sailing was taken last year at the Mystic Seaport WoodenBoat Show on the last day of the show, July 1. There was no aft seat, the fairleads for the jib were too wrong to use, a few other things were not finished yet either but aside from a leak test at St. Marks Lighthouse, that was Xena's maiden voyage in Conneticut.

I stopped in Ro-Mac to get a look at their marine fir. They only had two sheets of 1/4" and about six sheets of 3/8". The 5 ply 3/8" was actually cheaper than the 1/4" so some reason. I've found 3/8" Okume in North Carolina at $89 which might be worth the trip to avoid shipping and may be a better deal in the long run. I've got it book marked at work but I'm home now so not sure of the vendor but could tell you Monday.

Tallahassee boat builders, let's do lunch. I'd like to hear what you guys are up to and show you my new plans for Iain Oughtred's John Dory. Call me at FSU and we can exchange e-mails to coordinate lunch at Moe's, W. Tennessee St. – 644-1294.