Lumber Question

[Idon84]

I posted this lumber question to the Wooden Boat Forum today but thought I would put it on the this site too. I'm looking for opinions.



I have a question relating to some wood parts I need to rebuild on my 1980 GRP Hess cutter. I'm working on sourcing materials for my Sampson posts and my cover boards.

This photo has both parts in it. The cover boards are along the sides of the deck covering up the hull/deck joint, under the bulwarks. Sampson posts are obvious...


I've been looking at using Sapele or Khaya. Sapele is easier to come by but I have not found much on the durability of Sapele in marine applications. I've found a few places online that say Sapele is NOT for marine applications while others say that it is but gives no reason. Then I find places that sell Sapele plywood for marine applications. It's all so confusing sometimes. I really like Sapele's color and it seems much heavier (stronger) than other "African mahoganies," but what do I know?!

The cover boards will need to be 4/4 12"wide by 12' long so I have room to make the curves of the deck. While the sampson posts will be 2 laminated 8/4 boards at approx. 55" long. I made an order of Sapele but later was informed that they didn't have any vertical grain lumber to supply so I would have to wait. Now I'm having second thoughts about sapele and wanted some input from those who know. Would Khaya be a better choice?

Thanks,

Bryon

[One Way David]

Bryon, I'd never heard of either of these woods. So I googled them.

From the USDA Forest Service
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/Ch ... indri.html

I noticed on the above site that they say the lumber has a tendency to warp as it dries. This may not be an issue if you get to cull the lumber.

and a supplier that says they have quarter sawn lumber in this species.
http://www.woodvendors.com/price/sapele_lumber.asp

Dave

[Hirilondë]

I noticed on the above site that they say the lumber has a tendency to warp as it dries. This may not be an issue if you get to cull the lumber.

This was in reference to the drying/seasoning period, which should be over before you buy the wood. All lumber should be stored flat after drying to avoid warping and cupping. If you are dealing with an unfamiliar supplier, then you may want to choose your own boards, or at least visit them and see their lumber before buying. Not all suppliers are equally careful in the storage of lumber. I don't find Sapele much worse than most lumber if cared for properly.

When cutting curves you should lay out the piece, cut it out large, then lay it out again for the final cut. Due to the wavy grain in Sapele you will get distortion in the newly cut piece as material is removed from it and the internal strains on the remaining portion change.

I have used Sapele as planking and above the waterline applications on wooden boats. It bends quite well, which makes it desirable for plainking, although this doesn't really matter for the decorative "cover boards". Like all mahoganies it will stain if the varnish is not kept up well.

I see no reason not to use it for your application Byron.

[Idon84]

That's about the same story from the wooden boat forum. Those coverboards will most probably be painted. The old ones were varnished and looked shabby after a while and I want to keep the varnishing work down.

I kept the old coverboards to use as templates. The 12" width leaves me with a little room on either side of the board for trimming to the correct size once it's installed.

Good source in Vancouver WA.

Thanks again,

Bryon

[Idon84]

Dave,

Great source at Wood Vendors. Tom Ridge actually took the time to help me find exactly what I needed (and even things I didn't think I needed). It makes parting with a large sum of money much more palatable when you get good customer service for sure.

Thanks again,