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Posted

I didn't have time to put it on here, but I saw one for sale in Colorado for $950.  I emailed the seller but it sold that night (not surprisingly).  I seriously though it was a typo with a missing zero at the end.

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Posted

Educate me on the perils of fir plywood (assuming good  selection of wood and proper maintenance once built). I’m not a huge environmentalist but it seems a little off that all these boats start off as trees far overseas when I am surrounded by rot resistant trees here in Michigan (cedar). 

Posted

Fir plywood has few plies compared to BS 1088 Okoume, Meranti or Sapele.  The plies in Fir have gaps in some layers.  The wood does not torture in shape as well. There is actually quite a list.

Posted

I used fir ply on the first boat I built.  I coated it with two layers of epoxy, but only glassed the bottom, & 1” up the sides.  Over time, it checked badly.  I spent a couple of months sanding it all down, filled the checks with fairing compound, and painted her up again.  C43E4D95-C1AB-46E0-B1CE-A1E2309176E3.thumb.jpeg.e3c2e9ad35d9b96759aeadad206c20b5.jpeg

 

She checked again!  I should say that only the sides and interior checked, not the bottom. (Zoom in on this photo.)
A6FC017B-868E-43AC-99F1-0E0A4966CCBD.thumb.jpeg.2a5d8552a046292b46d8869b9a8e09d3.jpeg

 

If somebody is looking to save a buck by using fir, you lose the advantage when you sheath it with glass & fill it with expensive epoxy.  Plus, you end up with a heavier product than if you just used epoxy-coated Okoume to begin with.

Posted

Thanks for all the informed comments!  I wish there was an alternative to tropical woods, but it’s not worth it if the alternative will just be waste junk in a few years or will require more epoxy and glass. 

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