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- Thread starter Markc
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OK... I will not be silent since you need to know both sides of the story.
Look at a wood boat in this light. It is like a sandwich (your choice of sandwich fillings) the filling ( In this case ... the wood) is on the inside the bread or in this case the fiberglass and epoxy are on the outside.
The wood for better terminology ( filling ) is what sets the shape of the boat and defines the look of it , the Glass and epoxy are what gives it the strength.
Now , no matter what wood you use , that is your choice and yours alone , when it is epoxy saturated the saturation will increase the strength of the wood up to 4 times , depending on how well it is saturated.
When you decide on the wood then take a scrap and epoxy saturate it , take a scrap the same size and leave it natural... Let the saturated one (do both sides of it) cure for a day or two , now take them and break them or try to and see which one is the hardest to break.
Remember this is only epoxy saturated wood , not epoxyed after the saturation coat or coats and glassed on both sides.
I make all of my boats out of Luann which I get from a building suppler who specializes in it and he gets me some good ones. In the past there were some voids which I filled in with epoxy and wood flour , today he gets me the good stuff , no voids.
Chuck
Look at a wood boat in this light. It is like a sandwich (your choice of sandwich fillings) the filling ( In this case ... the wood) is on the inside the bread or in this case the fiberglass and epoxy are on the outside.
The wood for better terminology ( filling ) is what sets the shape of the boat and defines the look of it , the Glass and epoxy are what gives it the strength.
Now , no matter what wood you use , that is your choice and yours alone , when it is epoxy saturated the saturation will increase the strength of the wood up to 4 times , depending on how well it is saturated.
When you decide on the wood then take a scrap and epoxy saturate it , take a scrap the same size and leave it natural... Let the saturated one (do both sides of it) cure for a day or two , now take them and break them or try to and see which one is the hardest to break.
Remember this is only epoxy saturated wood , not epoxyed after the saturation coat or coats and glassed on both sides.
I make all of my boats out of Luann which I get from a building suppler who specializes in it and he gets me some good ones. In the past there were some voids which I filled in with epoxy and wood flour , today he gets me the good stuff , no voids.
Chuck
Markc:
Here is my two cents worth..... I am a rookie at boat building so I can only give you my limited opinion on the type of wood to use. I am in the middle of building my first piro (from UJ plans) and I am using 5.2 mm luan from Lowe's. It is maple on one side and birch on the other. And it was cheap. I have found it very easy to work with. I have only run into one void and it was very small (see "Update on piro" thread under Pirogues for a picture of the void). I picked this wood for two reasons - it was cheap and I was unsure about my skills at this new boat building craft. I didn't want to screw up the expensive Okaume plywood. But, because of the excellent help and support from the people on this site, I actually think this thing will float!! My piro is half finished at this point and I hope to have it done in three weeks. I have an extensive travel schedule for the next month or two, so I can't spend the time on it that I would like. This first piro was just an experiment to see how my skills measure up. I am already planning my next boat! Probably the Swamp Girl.
In the end I think it comes down to individual taste and whether or not you want just a boat or a masterpiece that will always bring a smile to your face every time you look at it.
JC (Jayceesfolly)
Here is my two cents worth..... I am a rookie at boat building so I can only give you my limited opinion on the type of wood to use. I am in the middle of building my first piro (from UJ plans) and I am using 5.2 mm luan from Lowe's. It is maple on one side and birch on the other. And it was cheap. I have found it very easy to work with. I have only run into one void and it was very small (see "Update on piro" thread under Pirogues for a picture of the void). I picked this wood for two reasons - it was cheap and I was unsure about my skills at this new boat building craft. I didn't want to screw up the expensive Okaume plywood. But, because of the excellent help and support from the people on this site, I actually think this thing will float!! My piro is half finished at this point and I hope to have it done in three weeks. I have an extensive travel schedule for the next month or two, so I can't spend the time on it that I would like. This first piro was just an experiment to see how my skills measure up. I am already planning my next boat! Probably the Swamp Girl.
In the end I think it comes down to individual taste and whether or not you want just a boat or a masterpiece that will always bring a smile to your face every time you look at it.
JC (Jayceesfolly)
Mark, Good choice mate.
A couple of tips that I learnt when I built my swamp girl.
1. I thought I would be smart and i used 4mm hardwood bracing ply for the bottom panels and lighter, 3mm pine pl that I think is your luan for the sides. My reasoning was to achieve a stronder, tougher bottom.
DON'T DO THIS. what happens is that the lighter ply is not strong enough to force the heavier bottom panelsinto shape. use the same thicknes ply throughout the boat.
2. Take your time with the build and enjoy it.
While it is not hard to build a Jem boat there is a dfinate learning curve, both in the fitting the panels and in the epoxy-fibreglassing. Ask lots of questiones during the build. THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS.
Good luck with the build mate and welcome to the dark side. Swamp Girl is a great boat and I am sure that both you and your wife will get a lot of enjoyment from her.
I sold my 'Girl a few months ago and have never stopped regretting it. My youngest daughter still has not forgiven me for it.
A couple of tips that I learnt when I built my swamp girl.
1. I thought I would be smart and i used 4mm hardwood bracing ply for the bottom panels and lighter, 3mm pine pl that I think is your luan for the sides. My reasoning was to achieve a stronder, tougher bottom.
DON'T DO THIS. what happens is that the lighter ply is not strong enough to force the heavier bottom panelsinto shape. use the same thicknes ply throughout the boat.
2. Take your time with the build and enjoy it.
While it is not hard to build a Jem boat there is a dfinate learning curve, both in the fitting the panels and in the epoxy-fibreglassing. Ask lots of questiones during the build. THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS.Good luck with the build mate
and welcome to the dark side. Swamp Girl is a great boat and I am sure that both you and your wife will get a lot of enjoyment from her. I sold my 'Girl a few months ago and have never stopped regretting it. My youngest daughter still has not forgiven me for it.
Thanks for the help.
I'm still in the planning stages of this project, and want to get a good idea exactly what this will cost.
I will start my hunt for ply, and price the epoxy and glass, and hopefully I can start construction in two months.
Is there anything else I need to plan out before I start construction?
I'm still in the planning stages of this project, and want to get a good idea exactly what this will cost.
I will start my hunt for ply, and price the epoxy and glass, and hopefully I can start construction in two months.
Is there anything else I need to plan out before I start construction?
I haven't heard of any places to buy marine ply in Montgomery or Dothan.
Quick serach for plywood retailers shows:
United Plywood
560 Trade Center Street, Montgomery, AL 36108
(334) 262-0569
Woodford Plywood Inc
2355 South Forbes Drive, Montgomery, AL 36110
(334) 264-0593
Vaughn Plywood Incorporated
1085 North McDonough Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 264-2284
United Plywoods & Lumber Inc
581 Trade Center Street, Montgomery, AL 36108
http://www.unitedplywoods.com
(334) 265-6721
Browder Veneer Works
1401 North McDonough Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 262-2896
Call them up and tell them you like void-free, easy to bend, lightweight, exterior glue, 4-6mm. I did this with a local plywood place and they provided some nice stuff that wasn't as light as Okoume, but it was $15 a sheet and was easy to build with.
Quick serach for plywood retailers shows:
United Plywood
560 Trade Center Street, Montgomery, AL 36108
(334) 262-0569
Woodford Plywood Inc
2355 South Forbes Drive, Montgomery, AL 36110
(334) 264-0593
Vaughn Plywood Incorporated
1085 North McDonough Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 264-2284
United Plywoods & Lumber Inc
581 Trade Center Street, Montgomery, AL 36108
http://www.unitedplywoods.com
(334) 265-6721
Browder Veneer Works
1401 North McDonough Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 262-2896
Call them up and tell them you like void-free, easy to bend, lightweight, exterior glue, 4-6mm. I did this with a local plywood place and they provided some nice stuff that wasn't as light as Okoume, but it was $15 a sheet and was easy to build with.