boat builders use ??

[thetrailergod]

here is a question for all you wood workers. what materials would you use for the stringers on a RBT and why ?? basswood, spruce, or what / also birch ply versus okumee? and basswood ply.

[baries]

Good evening Jeff, I like an African hardwood called obeechee, and that is probably misspelled. It is lighter and stronger than Sitka spruce and a lot cheaper too. I get it in 16 foot lengths with random widths and order it 4/4 and plane it to desired thickness in most cases 3/4 inch. As for plywood here again my personal choice is brunzell okumee plywood, it is BS1088 insured and you always know it is not going to fail. There is cheaper material available but when it comes to putting a person in one of my boats I want to know I've given them the best material.

[ZUL8TR]

Yes Obeche is cheaper and lighter than Sitka Spruce but far from stronger based on: rupture modulus, elastic modulus, crushing strength

http://www.wood-database.com/obeche/
http://www.wood-database.com/sitka-spruce/

I know you like obeche and have good performance with it in your great race boats and that is all that matters.

[Fastjack]

We use poplar that grows on our land and also White Cedar - local woods here in Maine. Both are light - glue well and will take a bend.

[johnsonm50]

Interesting that poplar comes up in this subject. I work with poplar often in home building. It makes a good paintable finish material & as an interior material I've seen it in applications well over100yo. When aged that much it becomes rock hard & brittle but we're not considering 100 yo race boats. It does seem to be resilient enough & is strong, the one flaw it that it is considered perishable. The same is true of okuome but being 100% sealed in epoxy makes it last fine.

[modhydro]

Another good alternative for stringers is douglas fir. You can take a bathroom scale with you and weight out individual boards for lighter pieces. It is very tough. I've seen the obeche stuff seem to be brittle. Sitka is great, but can be hard to find at economical prices locally.

When I say douglas fir, I mean clear boards, not lumber yard stuff, but some yards stock it for flooring. Menards has it in their indoor section, at least by me.

For the plywood stick with Ocumee; it is light, tight grained, and strong.

Steve Roskowski

[johnsonm50]

In construction D fir is used as stud, header, joist & rafter material. It is strong but weight from piece to piece can vari wildly depending on water content that I jokingly call 'lead content'. That being construction grade often stored outdoors at yards is rough, has knots throughout & is anything but straight grained. The select flooring on the other hand probably is very good for boat building & readily available.

[runabout333]

Would clear Aspen work for stringers.. Pro & Cons appreciated.

[Ram4x4]

Aspen is about half the stiffness of douglas fir. It's also a fair bit softer. Given the availability, I'd opt for douglas fir as the best replacement for sitka. Douglas is actually a little stronger than sitka too (harder and stiffer), but it is heavier per volume (slightly higher specific gravity).

[jsilvestri]

I've used butternut for years. It fairs easy, takes glue and fastners well, is light weight, tough enough for stringers, repels water and is readily available in my area. Be very, very careful with some woods because they are like a sponge around water, especially bass wood. For sheeting I always used okome 1088 certified panels but have now switched over to carbon panels. The J boats I will be building will probably be a mix of carbon/kevlar panels and sheets as well as some wood stringers and sheets.

[Ram4x4]

Butternut would be good. Light, strong. Okoume ply has good strength to weight (#1 reason boat builders like it), but it has poor resistance to rot when it gets wet. Have to make sure to keep it well sealed.

Joe, where do you get your carbon panels? Are they pre-made or do you make them?

[jsilvestri]

Dane, some of the panels I've made and some I bought from Brian Trolian.

[DeanFHobart]

Good evening Jeff, I like an African hardwood called obeechee, and that is probably misspelled. It is lighter and stronger than Sitka spruce and a lot cheaper too. I get it in 16 foot lengths with random widths and order it 4/4 and plane it to desired thickness in most cases 3/4 inch. As for plywood here again my personal choice is brunzell okumee plywood, it is BS1088 insured and you always know it is not going to fail. There is cheaper material available but when it comes to putting a person in one of my boats I want to know I've given them the best material.

Bud,

Where do you get your obechee, (obeechee)?

Thanks,

Dean Hobart...........

[Shane_B]

Dean - Edensaw Woods in Port Townsend usually carry obeche... very light but doesn;t bend as well as sitka spruce (by the way, was over there a couple of weeks ago and they have some aircraft grade sitka spruce - was 8/4 - 1 13/16 actual - 12' by about 15" wide... very clear, no knots - but wanted about $125 for the piece). When they have obeche, usually 4/4 (13/16 actual) in 10-12 ft lengths and about $3.50/bf. If you are into woodworking, Edensaw is the place to go - carry well over 100 species of wood. A footnote - be sure to wear a good mask/respirator when milling obeche - it's identified as a sensitizer (irritant).

[baries]

Dean, I've got a local lumber dealer that gets It for me. Sounds like you got someone local that can get it for you. I've never had any problems with it at all. The trees have to be huge, because the last I got I ask for 16 long random width and one board was 22 inches wide.

[Ram4x4]

Obeche trees grow 65-100 ft tall with 3-5 foot diameter trunks.

[DeanFHobart]

Thanks Shane and Bud.

I'm living in Southern California now, so It will have to be shipped.

Dean...............

[hydroman6]

I'm living in Southern California now,

Dean...............

On Purpose?

[Harold8]

Sounds like there are multiple options, the primary thing, making sure they are well sealed!

[DeanFHobart]

On Purpose?

Yes, on purpose. Sun !!!!!!!!!!!!!