Plywood for Skiff

[Stu Fyfe]

I just got the plans for Karl Stambaugh's Bay Skiff 12. http://www.cmdboats.com/bayskiff.htm?cart_id=88d507c3ca0e7eedda418fac74781 99a
What say you? Okoume, Sapele, Meranti or Doug Fir? I've used Doug Fir and I'm well aware of the checking. Boat calls for three layers of epoxy with the hull glassed. I don't have experience with the others. What do you think?

[Ron Carter]

Built my skiff from Meranti. Glued and screwed. The outer veneer is thin and seems brittle but otherwise decent to work and finished well with oil base paint.

[JimConlin]

If you plan to glass it both sides, fir ply is fine, and priced right, too.

[JimD]

Fir if you're going to glass and paint it. If you want to finish bright then meranti is heavier but less expensive than okoume. Okoume is lighter weight but pricier. Okoume is the most rot prone.

[pipefitter]

I can see using fir for a hull bottom but for less sanding and fairing work, the meranti uses less epoxy and sandpaper. I know it is not good to sand DF because of the hard/soft make up of the wood with it's coarse grain pattern but even unsanded,the grain pattern will telegraph through the fibreglass cloth,resulting in more filler coats of epoxy and an all around heavier boat. It doesn't matter if it is a knock around and subject to severe workage and damage then by all means use the fir. If you are going to maintain it as in keeping it new looking,the finer grained plywoods rock.

Also,I just bought some 3/4 marine fir ply and it too had the thin veneer on the outside. The price difference between the meranti and the DF is not enough to really quibble over. If I was to use the DF on a painted boat,it would be the MDO just for being able to get away from that god awful coarse grain.

Of all of the ply drops sitting on the ground since the beginning of my project,the DF suffered the worst. The meranti which has been out there a year longer is still sound,even on it's edges. This is the BS1088 meranti from world panel. I don't know the specific brand name. I don't think the DF veneers they use in the marine ply is as rot resistant as the close grained DF lumber mentioned on this forum.