Aaron_G Posted July 12, 2004 Posted July 12, 2004 I've looked at past posts regarding the Meranti vs Okume. It seems like people have satisfactory results using Aquatek. Any late-breaking opinions about Aquatek before I lay down my $$ tomorrow? I am thinking of using Aquatek for the hull and seats, and Okume for the deck. I am going to glass over the hull. (p.s. I am building a CS 17 -- hull # 125). Quote
Shine Posted July 12, 2004 Posted July 12, 2004 If your going to glass over the hull, you could probably get away with a less grade wood. The price difference in Meranti 6566 and 1088 is larger enough to save some money. If you email your BOM to me, I will put together a epoxy/glass kit that will save you some money. Joel Boatbuildercentral.com Quote
Aaron_G Posted July 12, 2004 Author Posted July 12, 2004 In case anyone is interested...I wound up buying all Okume. It was only about $180 more for the whole project. The Aquatek (6566 Meranti) had a noticeably thinner veneer and noticable voids. Being my first boat project, I have no idea if those voids are significant...but i decided to err on the side of lighter weight and less voids. Quote
mustangermatt Posted July 12, 2004 Posted July 12, 2004 Don't go cheap on the wood. For my CS 17 the cost of plywood is about 20% of the total cost. If you save 10% on the wood, you are only knocking about 2% off the total price of materials. Woo Hoo :-) It is not worth the risk of a delaminated boat or worse. When you start bending the bow pieces as you go 3-d you'll be glad you spent the extra 2%. One void someplace in the bow will ruin your whole day when it breaks while your bending it. On the other hand if your working with good materials this stage is one of the most enjoyable. Also remember that the plywood is the primary structural member of this boat, not just a skin. Quote
mustangermatt Posted July 12, 2004 Posted July 12, 2004 Looks like we posted at the same time. Glad to hear you went with the better wood, I think you'll be very happy you did as you get further along. I am about 3/4 done with my cs 17 (#97), started last september and I expect to launch September or October this year. I have decking, hull glass, paint and rigging to complete. It is taking longer than I originally expected but I guess I don't have as much time to work on it as I thought :-) It is turning out to be a very nice boat though, I am really happy with the design. I had considered some of the other flat bottom designs, but this one is much prettier. Quote
Aaron_G Posted July 12, 2004 Author Posted July 12, 2004 FYI I paid $42.75 for 1/4" Okoume. I purchased from Crosscut Hardwoods in Portland, Oregon. https://www.emersonhardwood.com/cchw/product.asp?cID=805465456014 Quote
Scott Dufour Posted July 12, 2004 Posted July 12, 2004 Wow. That's a great price. I paid about $65 a sheet for the 1/4 inch out here in Connecticut. It's supposedly "based on 1088" , but the outer plys are much thinner than the three inner ones. What hull number are you building? Mustangermatt: you're putting me to shame with your progress. When you gonna post the next pics? Quote
Aaron_G Posted July 13, 2004 Author Posted July 13, 2004 My outer plys seem slightly thinner than the inner ones, but it could be an optical illusion. Each sheet has "BS 1088 Okoume throughout" stamped on it. I am building hull #125 of a CS 17. Recieved plans a couple of weeks ago. I will start building next week. Quote
Joe Nelson CS#35 Posted July 13, 2004 Posted July 13, 2004 I am building the CS20. I am using aquatek. I am happy with it. I have not found the voids that some talk about and neither has a friend that also is using it. It is heavier to a significant degree...that is my only critisism. Schooner Creek Boat Works here in portland uses it a lot in their production. It is available through them with some advance notice. I had mine shipped direct from the supplier in Port Townsend. If I was going to do it again I would order from Schooner and pick it up. Where are you located? I am in Colton. Joe Quote
Shine Posted July 13, 2004 Posted July 13, 2004 thats a good price, and Im glad you went with the better wood. Joel Boatbuildercentral.com Quote
Aaron_G Posted July 13, 2004 Author Posted July 13, 2004 Joe: I live in NE Portland. BTW, I did notice that several--in fact, most--of the sheets of Aquatek didn't seem to have voids. Of course, I was only examining one edge. The crosssection of the voids that I could see on the edges seemed to average between 1/8 to 3/8 inch across. On the worst piece I saw there were roughly 6 voids that I could see on one edge. Quote
mustangermatt Posted July 13, 2004 Posted July 13, 2004 Scott, I was going to take some pictures last night but my son had scavanged the batteries out of the camera for his rc car. Thats the downside of having kids, the upside is that I can make progress on the boat because they do alot of work on it :-) I am still going to be 6 months behind what I expected by the time I launch. Oh well, the journey and all that :-) I am going to get some batteries today, hopefully I will get the pictures up tonight. Quote
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