I also built my CS17 out of Meranti. It is probably heavier, but she sails fine for my purposes. I have never used Okume but I hear that Meranti is stiffer than Okume when it comes to making bends. I did find the wood stiff. I did not ,however, have any problem with the bends in the bow of the CS17. If, as you observed with your hammer test, Meranti is tougher, that would be a definate plus for my sailing locations. All the lakes in Georgia are very low right now.