Maple on boats?

[John Stevens]

I'm getting ready to buy the seats, rudder and dagger board wood for my dinghy. I checked the price on mahogany 1 x 8 and it's just over 7.00 a foot. I would like to paint the boat but stain and varnish the seats, rudder and dagger board. Can I use maple in this application? Is maple a boat wood? What are it's qualities?

TIA,

John

[Guest]

Most maple, nowadays, is for cabinet makers, and it is soft maple, very unstable in any bulk form. Burl maple is used in veneers and backed with other woods. Much of the old growth worked fine, but did mildew really bad if not keep protected with a finish coat of clear coatings at the bare minimum. Seek other avenues. Pricing is abotu the same for the good stuff.

[Greg Luckett]

If you can find some Black (red) maple, it should be really good wood for boat building. I have two growing on my property, both with years of life to go, but they grow about like the slow growing oaks. My advice is to avoid any fast growing species, since that wood is generally poor and soft.

Just my opinions going from memory while here at work.

Greg.

[BobSmalser]

Not knowing your location severely limits recommendations.

Hard maple heartwood can be used...like our local Bigleaf...but any sapwood will mildew badly. Maple is very heavy, however, compared to H. Mahog.

[Johannah]

Just for a little clarity on the common names used here: Black Maple is a mid-western cousin (some would say just a regional variant) of the Sugar Maple and thus a source of hard maple, if it's good wood. Red maple is a different and more widely distributed species which is relatively softer and more apt to split. Ditto on the mildew, I think for reasons of sugar content in the wood. Every region has some beautiful and little used wood if you have the patience to mosey around a bit to find some.

[John Stevens]

I may just continue with the fir. I was hoping to get the dark wood contrast for seats and rails but not at that price.

John

[Dave Fleming]

IMOOP, say NO to Maple in any form for exterior boat use.

Ever see what a Maple countertop around a kitchen sink looks like if not sealed fanatically well?

Nice blackened stains creeping outward and the wood turning to mush.

No, for things in small boats like thwarts, cleats, knees, rowlock pads.

Hit the small cut bins at a hardwoods dealer and seek out Walnut, Cherry, Ash, Oak but that too needs good sealing, and if near an orchard look for trimmings of most any Fruitwood would be good. Apple a prime choice.

[Zeroice]

I used some maple. Just when i built the wheel. The wheel was built from homedepot white maple. It seems to be fine with just 2 coats of varnish on it. It doesn't apear to have any signs of weather damage or any breakdown.

[BobSmalser]

Take Dave's comment to heart, tho....if you are using maple, use only hard maple heartwood...the sapwood will mildew even beneath the varnish...and keep it thoroughly sealed on all 4 surfaces and in hardware holes.

[Zeroice]

The maple I used was quite hard. I remember it being difficult to round out on the wheel spoke handles. So that may be why I haven't had any trouble!