Which Mahogany?

[ccx2]

Going to use Mahogany for the guards on my Garvey, designer spec that or Fir and fir seems would be to soft for taking the bumps at the dock. What type would you all recommend ? Honduran,phillipine,.......

[SeaB]

Decent edge-grain, close grained douglas fir, is harder than any Phillipine mahogany that I've seen. Trouble is its kind of splintery. How about W.oak, W.ash, if you're on the west coast anywhere close to Calif. you may find some Aust. gum of some kind that would work. Black cherry or Black walnut would probably do.

[ishmael]

I don't know where you are, but maybe look for something local. The oaks work well as rub rails. Whites are more resistant to rot, but in this application I wouldn't hesitate to use a red.

Honduran mahogany is great stuff, but I've gotta think it's pretty dear these days. Look for a local sawyer sawing oak.

2 cents.

[ccx2]

Decent edge-grain, close grained douglas fir, is harder than any Phillipine mahogany that I've seen. Trouble is its kind of splintery. How about W.oak, W.ash, if you're on the west coast anywhere close to Calif. you may find some Aust. gum of some kind that would work. Black cherry or Black walnut would probably do.
Im in Virginia. The guards get epoxy glue to the hull and screws from the inside thru the inwhale and spacers. From what i read oak is a bad choice with epoxy or thats what i would use, but it would prob be just as expensive as mahogany.

[TerryLL]

H. mahog will look great, but it's too soft for the guards on an outboard skiff that will be expected to take some abuse. Most Phillipine mahogs that I've seen are even softer. A reasonable alternative is dark red meranti, but it might not be available in your neck of the woods. If you want a really tough dark reddish wood you might spring for cumaru (Brazilian teak), which also might be hard to find where you are.

You might also consider installing the guards with bedding compound rather than epoxy so you can replace them when they get seriously dinged.

[JimConlin]

Black locust would hold up well and might be available in your area.

Gordon Swift ("Swifty") called it "New Hampshire teak".

[kc8pql]

You might also consider installing the guards with bedding compound rather than epoxy so you can replace them when they get seriously dinged.
I agree completely. It's there to get chewed up. Install it so you can fix it.

[ccx2]

All these diff woods, would oak be Ok as mentioned, its easy to come by and not to pricey, does it really not hold well with epoxy?

[David G]

A lot of lumberyards now are carrying Ipe lumber for decking material. It is tough as nails, and looks good oiled. Might be a candidate.

[Bob Smalser]

...Garvey...designer spec that or Fir and fir seems would be to soft ...


Guards exist to be easily and cheaply replaced when they get chewed up.

Doug Fir (or your local equivalent as hard or harder) will be just fine, and much more appropriate to your boat's work lineage.

[mcdenny]

The thought to bed (not epoxy) the guard so you can replace it down the road is a good one. If you want to epoxy it on to make the edge of the boat stronger you might then screw on a stainless hollow back half oval molding.

Oak can be tempermental to bond with epoxy but can work OK. Fresh sanding just before bonding, enough glue to get good squeeze-out, tip the odds in your favor.

Sapele looks just like mahogany but is harder and heavier, would be a good choice too.

If you are varnishing the guards oak might not be such a good choice. It will get banged up and turn black where the water gets to the wood.

[ssor]

I attached my guards with 3/8 inch round head machine screws to permanently mounted bases. I can remove them in a half hour. They stand off about a half inch from the hull so that they flex a bit before they transmit the bump to the hull.

[mobjack68]

Ash...extremely close grain, not open at all. Glues/beds well, great bending ability. Finishes good too. Seems to be a little more rot resistant than oak or mahog.

[pcford]

Ash...extremely close grain, not open at all. Glues/beds well, great bending ability. Finishes good too. Seems to be a little more rot resistant than oak or mahog.

Ash is less rot resistant than white oak or mahgony. A very porous wood.

The original poster should use white oak. Bedded down and fastened from inside.

[watson1990]

Ash is a good looking wood and is as stout a wood as you will find..Reasonable price too.
I would also research Canberra, Which is a brazilian red wood ..A bit on the oily side like teak ,but quite hardy! And ,when I last bought it it was incredibly cheap but lovely

You need to research these two woods ,,take a little time : they are really wonderful .
On another note . some people will walk into the area where i store my wood [ not all that much but a bit... ] and what they see is wood ...its kinda funny that I have eventually come to that point where I have 7-10 different species of wood on hand and I can hold one up and know what it is ...that took some years ..right now I have abou 600 lin feet of northern white cedar ,already stripped and run through the router for the bead and cove ... just feels good owning that stock...100 feet of ash ,,,4/4 poplar is a very nice wood too .Oak? ..can't have too much oak,,canberra,,couple a hundred feet 4/4.I need to buy some 4/4 mahogony for the new deck on my Chris Craft Runabout .

Watson

[ccx2]

I guess i should have said it will be painted and chafe guards or rub rail installed , sorry.

[TerryLL]

OK. If the plan is to glue on a permanent and painted inner guard and then attach a sacrificial outer rub rail, then pick a wood that glues and paints well for the inner guard. No need for anything exotic, or particularly tough. The outer rub rail will take the abuse.

[ishmael]

What is the boat? Does the plan call for the rail to be glued to the hull? Just on general principals, unless the rail is somehow integral to the stiffness or soundness of the hull I say put it on with goop, not glue. Dolphinite, or some other bedding compound. The idea is that in the unfortunate occasion of an accident you can replace it. Not if it's glued on. Not easily.

Tell us more about the boat.

[pcford]

I need to buy some 4/4 mahogony for the new deck on my Chris Craft Runabout .

Watson

You will find that you need 5/4.

[ccx2]

What is the boat? Does the plan call for the rail to be glued to the hull? Just on general principals, unless the rail is somehow integral to the stiffness or soundness of the hull I say put it on with goop, not glue. Dolphinite, or some other bedding compound. The idea is that in the unfortunate occasion of an accident you can replace it. Not if it's glued on. Not easily.

Tell us more about the boat.
Its a 15'9" Ben Garvey, Doug Hyman design . Plans call for Guard on outside of hull to be epoxy glued and the inwhale to be screwed thru inwhale, spacers, hull panel and into sheer guard.

I think TerryLL hit the nail on the head for me, since ill be attaching a chafe/rub rail it doesnt matter what wood i use for the guard long as it glues well. I checked on some fir today and the longest i could find was 14' 1x4 @1.20 ft. I found some 1x6x16 african Mahogany that i could cut both the guard and inwhale out of for 56.00$. ill prob go with the Mahogany, Thanks for the help guys.

[watson1990]

You will find that you need 5/4.

I am sure that you are correct.I haven't even looked at the old decking that was saved to use as a template.. My C.C. is a 1954 Sportsman...24 foot runabout

Watson