Marine choice of woods

[Steve B]

I have a Lund 16' aluminum boat. It is not an expensive boat, not a teak and mahogany cruiser.

I am going to redo some of the places on it where I think wood would be very attractive, the vee at the bow where the trolling motor mounts, the dashboard, and the long bench seat, which I will make a combination of wood, and upholstered seats covering some of the wood, but letting some show.

Teak and mahogany are out. I am somewhat limited to what I can get at the local Borg stores, which brings it down to cedar and redwood.

I plan on routing edges round, doing some decorative routing, staining, and then some McClosky's or the like. I figure on sanding and sealing yearly, but if it looks really sharp, it's worth it. It will be parked in the shade when not in use, but not indoors.

What would you use for a practical marine wood? I'm thinking of using 2x8's or 2x6's depending on what I need for the finished size, the important thing being 1 1/2" thick. Which would weather better in a dry hot arid location of the US? (intersection of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona)

TIA

Steve

[salty]

IPE would be better than redwood or cedar. It is often thought of as the cheap alternative to teak.

On a boat that small, be VERY aware of where and how much weight you are adding.

[dadiOH]

I can see teak being out, price has become ridiculous, but why mahogany? If just because your local DIY center doesn't have it, you can easily get it online. ______________

Why use a nice wood and then stain it? Additional work too, both initially and later in maintenance. _______________

Meranti isn't bad. White oak could work too. Plus, of course, the aforementioned teak and mahogany. Actully, just about any wood will work if it is cared for. ______________

You aren't normally going to find hardwoods in nice neat sizes and why in the world to you need 6/4 for what you are proposing?

[salty]

Forget white oak on a boat! It turns black in a hurry.

[J. Clarke]

White oak is traditional, fairly hard, strong, and any hardwood lumber yard should have it. The Borg won't--they'll have red oak which isn't (repeat IS NOT) a good substitute.

If it's _gotta_ be something from the borg and they have cedar, that's the thing to go with--cedar is traditional.

[skeez]

can you get your hands on some cypress?

skeez

[IanM]

Bolting wood to Aluminium is a good way to end up with holes in the aluminium! See 'Poultice Corrosion' on Google or start with this link: Anything that traps moisture against the metal risks rotting it.

Any time you fasten something to aluminium on a boat, you *must* use an anti-corrosion jointing compound, the best of them being Duralac.

Any decent chandler will stock it.

Also make sure you use stainless or heavily galvanized fastenings (stainless only for salt water use) and dip each one in Duralac. Ideally you use insulating washers under bolt or screw heads but even so, use Duralac!

Beware of wood treated with wood preservatives. Some treated woods + damp will eat a hole through your boat in a week or two! Anything copper based is likely to cause trouble.

[Christopher Tidy]

Hi Steve,

I have a book in front of me with the results of some scientific tests on the durability of timber carried out in Britain. Western red cedar is classed as "durable" whereas redwood is classed as "non-durable". Looking quickly at the tables, it would appear that the lifetime of untreated stakes in the ground is about 5 to 15 years for redwood and 15 to 30 years for cedar. It's unlikely that you'll get the same results with a different application in a different climate, but my guess is that the cedar will still be more durable. If you want any more information from the book, you can reach me at chris AT ruggedmachines DOT com.

Best wishes,

Chris

[J. Clarke]

Uh, Chris, does it say the _species_ of that "redwood"? It's my understanding that in the UK "redwood" is Scandinavian pine, not the giant tree that grows on the West Coast of North America.

[Christopher Tidy]

You're right. I checked the book and the species is Pinus sylvestris, a.k.a. Scots Pine. My mistake. Sorry about that!

Chris

[DanG]

Steve, I think I would strongly consider one of the man made materials. They work with wood working tools, routers, etc. Absolutely rot proof.