A Source for Marine Plywood in the Upstate

[Don Silsbe]

Good news!  We (Don Rausch and I) just discovered a source for Meranti and Okoume in the Upstate of South Carolina!  They're located in Greenville, SC.  The name of the outfit is Hood Distribution/McEwen Group, located at 1925 Perimeter Road, in Greenville.  Phone # is 864-277-8865.  Their prices are competitive, and they carry the Joubert Okoume as well as Aquatek Meranti.  It is not your typical Lowes or Home Depot, so call your order in, if you intend to pick up an order from them.  Even better news is that they will deliver even as far as us (Tryon, NC) for only $20.  This is incredible, since their shop is about an hour away.

[Chick Ludwig]

REALLY great news!!!!!!!!! Thanks Don, and the Other Don, too.

[cdunc]

Here is the description of their Okuome:

 

Quote

Okoume is pink in color on the face and back. Face veneers are usually Rotary Cut, Whole Piece Face. The core is a Chinese Poplar that typically has more layers than other imports. For instance, an 18mm panel will have 13 plys versus a 7 or 9 ply product from other countries. Having a Poplar core makes this product less stable than a tropical hardwood core. Okoume is available with Moisture Resistant glue or Marine glue. Okoume is most commonly used in the construction of the cabinet boxes. Okoume is a good substitute for Meranti, Virola, or Faveria plywood. Cost of Okoume makes this product more attractive than other import plywood

 

 

I got that from their web site:  http://www.hooddistribution.com/import-plywood/

 

 

[Hirilonde]

1 hour ago, cdunc said:

Here is the description of their Okuome:

 

 

 

I got that from their web site:  http://www.hooddistribution.com/import-plywood/

 

 

Then what they are selling is not BS1088 Okoume.  Who knows what it specs out as, if anything.  At least they don't claim it meets any standard but their own which they describe.

[Chick Ludwig]

So it may have  "Moisture Resistant glue or Marine glue" Also not the usual 4mm or 6mm thicknesses. thickness not too much of a problem unless you're building something like a canoe that needs the wood to bend, like at the bow. we'd better check closer. maybe they can tell us about the glue.

[Don Silsbe]

The guy I talked to at Hood told me it was Joubert Okoume. It will be interesting to see if it has the blue and white Joubert sticker, when I eventually buy some.  

[Hirilonde]

The consensus of experienced builders is that Joubert is one of the best manufacturers of BS 1088.  My first couple builds were using Joubert as it was what we normally ordered at the marina where I worked and I got my material through work as it was a perk that employees could order stuff through the parts department at cost.

[Designer]

We have bought a lot of ply from Hood distribution over the years. They carry a lot of brands with varying quality. They definitely carry Joubert but sometimes were out of stock in certain thicknesses. Joubert is the only brand that I would buy from them.