Canoeyawl
11-10-2008, 10:43 PM
I am a little disappointed in the plywood criticisms lately.
Plywood boats fail in the same way that any wooden boat fails, from the builder not understanding the material or the use. If the craft, any craft, is slap dashed together then of course we will have failures.
Little things like fits and adhesives, proper bedding and fastening, limbers, and most importantly, good ventilation will be the demise of any boat. Many amateurs, and some professionals, have built boats not knowing or understanding the reasoning for these details or even knowing they exist (this makes a case for apprenticeship programs) and ignored them as silly tradition or from just plain ignorance using the excuse “workboat finish” but the same skills are required to build a good boat whether it is solid wood or plywood. If the criticism is aimed at the material it is much like the worker blaming his tools for a poor job. It is all wood. There are some different engineering properties between plywood and solid wood but the principles are the same, understanding the strengths and limits to your materials are everything. Craftsmanship is the thing.
Those that dismiss good marine plywood, as “too expensive” may not recognize that the materials cost of a boat are a small fraction of the end cost. And those that can’t repair it are simply incompetent workers.
Now, my plywood boat maybe only marginally suitable as a sh!t bucket but I’m betting it will outlive all of us by a long shot. And it will be a lovely lucky thing while it lives.
End Rant
Plywood boats fail in the same way that any wooden boat fails, from the builder not understanding the material or the use. If the craft, any craft, is slap dashed together then of course we will have failures.
Little things like fits and adhesives, proper bedding and fastening, limbers, and most importantly, good ventilation will be the demise of any boat. Many amateurs, and some professionals, have built boats not knowing or understanding the reasoning for these details or even knowing they exist (this makes a case for apprenticeship programs) and ignored them as silly tradition or from just plain ignorance using the excuse “workboat finish” but the same skills are required to build a good boat whether it is solid wood or plywood. If the criticism is aimed at the material it is much like the worker blaming his tools for a poor job. It is all wood. There are some different engineering properties between plywood and solid wood but the principles are the same, understanding the strengths and limits to your materials are everything. Craftsmanship is the thing.
Those that dismiss good marine plywood, as “too expensive” may not recognize that the materials cost of a boat are a small fraction of the end cost. And those that can’t repair it are simply incompetent workers.
Now, my plywood boat maybe only marginally suitable as a sh!t bucket but I’m betting it will outlive all of us by a long shot. And it will be a lovely lucky thing while it lives.
End Rant