A thought... maybe totally off the planet as ususal but what say you?

[Wild Dingo]

Now I know Ive got a few years wait afore I can start cuttin wood from these stacks out the front... :(

but a bit of advance thinking is in order... Now back when Pearl Luggers were built from the ground up with Jarrah they were built heavy and tough strong as an ox! and fine vessels they be too!! :cool:

Now my thoughts from utterly out there go something like this...

Ive got among all that stuff out the front 4 x 3mtr lengths of 5 x 6 for the keel thats what? a flamin big keel!! but no that can be the keel and dead wood... so Ive got all this other stuff of different sizes as well... along with the 1 1/2" 2" 2 1/2" and 3"planks... sooooo here goes!

What would happen if I were to build me a boat outta this stuff? ...Now Mike of Field and TonyH my resident expert minds that I tend to tap at moments like these reckon that the Tuart {Eucalyptus gomphocephala} is toooooo heavy and dense to build a boat from unless one wants a REALLY Seriously heavy boat!! ... but...

I mean...

I sorta got ta thunkin tonight...

I mean...

Isn't it feasable that it could be done? and a fine boat be builded in the doin? :confused:

Now me resident experts have said that Tuart is similar only heavier and denser than your White Oak and so anyone here know of any boats {or even just the hull} built entirely with White Oak?? yes yes the Tuart is also heavier and much denser than Jarrah too...

so its bound to be flamin heavy... but still the woods here... it will eventually be dry enough to use... and what finer use than in a boat??

[RGM]

How about horse trading some of your heavy/dense material for something lighter? Maybe use the Tuart for structural members and maybe frames, then try to obtain some lighter suitable native wood for planking, deck beams and decking? Building the entire boat out of that stuff would be tuff on you and on your tools.

[Wild Dingo]

mmmmmm good thoughts mate... but... which to do the deal with?? how does one select which peices to loose and which to keep? maybe the one your selling turns out to be the one you want... or the missus wants for that perfect table outdoor setting cupboard whatever its bound to be the one... aaahhh!! tis a terrible terrible state I be in matey! :rolleyes: But you are probably right... sigh

[Mrleft8]

First off.... You'll need to wait several years before you use that lumber for furniture, but NOT for boat lumber. Furniture lumber should be between 8% and 4% MC (moisture content) but boat lumber only needs to go down to between 20% to 15% MC (according to a wooden boat builder I check with on the catspaw project). SO...... Your Tuart might be ready by Christmas time.
I'd use the Tuart for frames and keel parts etc. and get some nice light lumber for the planking. The trick is to trade heavy frame stock that you won't need (because you've already framed up your hull) to someone who has planking stock, but needs framing material...
This way you save the thinner stock that you will use for building that table in a few years after it dries out nicey nice....

[doorstop]

Barter man, BARTER! you've got to have a bunch of furniture building types around that would be delighted to swap your Tuart for something more nautically suitable.

[Ken Hall]

What they said, Shane. For what it's worth, Buehler noted (maybe implied would be more accurate) in passing, in Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding, that eucalyptus wasn't particularly rot-resistant. I haven't had time to look into it deeper.

[seafox61]

you have said that the wood is heavy but is it strong? split resistant? rot resistant?

also what kind of boat are you thinking of building with it?
jeffery

[TonyH]

Ken - there are about 800 different species of eucalypt in Australia. Their timber properties vary accordingly. Everything from "strictly firewood only" through to "exquisite cabinet-grade timber". Some are highly rot-resistant (up there with black locust), others will start rotting minutes after they get damp, and every shade of grey in between.

Seafox - Tuart is very heavy, hard, strong, not sure how split prone it is (grain is interlocked, so probably not too bad, but it is prone to surface checking), fairly good rot resistance, tough to work.

[Bob Aberton]

Dunno that I'm qualified enough even to chip in here, but if this Tuart stuff is as heavy as you say, building the hull out of it would either save on the amount of ballast or allow said boat to carry a rather larger sail area than usual, right?

I do know that Sam Crocker's SALLEE ROVER sloop was designed to be partially ballasted by the weight of her own keel timbers...

[john welsford]

Shane, I gather it will be some time before you get to build "the" boat. Why not plant some hoop pine or Celery Top Pine to replace the ones just felled. By the time the hoons are gone and Possum P has been persuaded those trees might just be big enough to provide the planking.

John W( with tongue firmly in cheek)

[daddles]

Originally posted by john welsford:
Shane, I gather it will be some time before you get to build "the" boat. Why not plant some hoop pine or Celery Top Pine to replace the ones just felled. By the time the hoons are gone and Possum P has been persuaded those trees might just be big enough to provide the planking.

John W( with tongue firmly in cheek)You might be joking John but he's silly enough to do it ... and get away with it.

Richard

[Ken Hutchins]

Planting trees is not such a bad idea, smile.gif even though I have 42 acres all wooded, I just planted about 30 white oak acorns that are just sprouting. smile.gif With all the trees I have there was only one White Oak to be found when I wanted my boat wood. I've got hundreds of beautiful Red and Black Oak (as in 50 to 60 feet straight without a limb and diameters up to 25") :D . If just one of these new trees finds its way into a wooden boat it will be worth the effort smile.gif even though I doubt I will be here to see it happen.

[Dan Hobson]

I'm with the build more boats crowd. You've got wood that may be suitable even if may be a bit on the heavy side of things. Just build it strong. And if it doesn't make an extra 25 miles a day, and if it doesn't win any races, so what?? Build it comfortable and build it to handle well. You've got modern chemicals and modern fasteners and finishes all in your favor. So my two cents says go ahead and experiment!

[Wild Dingo]

WOW!! A flashback! :eek:

mate the Tuarts mostly gone now about a cube or so left... gone into pergalas tables and other outdoor stuff

Sadly Ive had mostly a bad time with the Tuart solely mine own fault for not following the advice given regarding covering the stacks some of the planks ended up as Doug once said "a pile of matchsticks" and the best of the others I have kept to one side and keep a close eye on them.

They now reside in humpy out the back destined to be a bar and a horse saddle stand along with a few going into the deck Im going to build.

I still remain hopeful to be able to use at least some in a build but am yet to finalize my decision... since loosing all my plans to the great washday in May I have resisted buying any plans at all until I can say definitively "THATS THE ONE!" then bang buy the plans and thats it... well thats the theory anyway :rolleyes:

To quantify that the boat will be timber not ply simply due the fact that timber is presently availble in unlimited supply for the brillent of brillient prices $0 cost of feul energy and time is all whereas ply is just too bloody expensive to contemplate when you add the cost of epoxy and glass... I have defined it a tad more than before

The boat will be...
between 28 and 35ft lwl
of the old style... schooner pilot etc
Can be from either an old long dusty designer or a newer designer Im not worried on either as long as the design is THE one.
a long term thing
I am in no rush at all
Must be able to be single handed from time to time
The decision has been made to do this and so now its a simple matter of careful selection

Her highness the loverly possumpoop (not Possum P as John says) has given her whole hearted consent... since she cant talk me out of it surrender is the better part of valor as she says from time to time :D

On that basis Im being increadibly selective and damned hard on myself!

Based on what I like asthetically and what is out there presently and within the budget for plans it will probably be...

Murray Petersons Susan

Ive been back in contact with Bill Murrays son and holder of the plans and am just waiting on the answer to the question regarding the cost of the premade moulds being sent downunder (albeit not the keel)

40+ sheets of very detailed plans several sail plans
Moulds and or casts for the particular peices Murray included
Total $1600US freight will probably zap that up a wee bit but we will see what he comes back with then decide

Simply put other than a bloody luggar I havent seen anything that is (to me) as asthetically pleasing nor as practical and able to do blue water cruising as this one... well other than a nice pilot boat set of drawings a fella over east sent me when I constantly berrated him about showin pics of his boat in the bush!! {eh Peter! ;) )

I would be in deep shite if I could get ply epoxy and glass for a good price eh!!...Thank god I cant :cool: Its actually making the decision easier... sorta :rolleyes:

[ 08-20-2005, 04:40 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[PeterSibley]

Shane ....you know my opinion on heavy stuff ..use it .My backbone , well the boats, is 6"x9" for the white stringybark keel (24') stem and stern post are from 6"x12" iron bark,ex bridge timbers and lovely stuff but OH God its hard!!!
Ive also had a pile of 6' long sweeps or bends from tallowwood branches saw through bark to bark at 45 mm(1 3/4") for sawn frames.If you've got tuart or oregon use it. :D

And check out the mine stores for as much copper round bar and rod as they won't miss .............sizes 1/4" through to 1" ;)

edited cos I can't spell

[ 08-26-2005, 07:58 AM: Message edited by: PeterSibley ]

[Thad]

I'm with Peter!