red cedar

[John155]

Is western red cedar suitable for the keel batten?

[Brent]

Cedar is light weight but splits easily and does not flex well. Not my first choice for a keel batten. I want my keel batten to take the beating that riding on the trailer rollers is going to dish out. Douglas fir is better, but there are other woods that work well. White oak is good, but watch the weight.

[Charlie Jones]

My preference would be Doug fir for the keel batten.

[PAR]

No, red western cedar isn't a good structural material, for reasons mentioned and others. It's a fine planking in light weight boats and also has many other uses, but it's weight, stiffness, resistance to splitting, ability to hold fasteners, expansion characteristics, strength in tension, etc. limit its use in structural applications. Select a lumber that is denser, of which Douglas fir is a good choice, but pick a nice piece. A lot of Douglas fur is hybrid or farm grown stuff that lacks many of the properties we desire in boat building, but is fine for 2 x 4's in a house. Hard pine, southern yellow pine (if good stock) or one of the rot resistant oaks will work for your keel. Red oak isn't one of the rot resistant oaks and doesn't have a place on a boat, except as trim pieces inside the cabin.

[Hirilonde]

If there is any piece on a dinghy where resilience is more important than weight; you have found it. I am certainly considering weight for my choice for gunwhales, probably going to choose Sitka Spruce. But since every time I drag my tender the keel batten is going to suffer for it I think I am going to use African Mahogany. It has long stringy fibers that bend well and resist abrasion. It glues well and is quite rot resistant.

I'm not sure how available it is in areas where boat building doesn't normally occur though.

[John155]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[PeterP]

I want make sure we are on the same page here; the keel batten is inside the boat so it should not get that much abrasion. Nothing several good coats of epoxy could not handle. At the same time it provides back up for the keel and should hold screws well. Cedar is way too soft for that. I've had good luck with clear yellow pine. Go get some 5/4 corner stock from your building supply - 1x5" for your seventeen. Make sure to get some vertical grain to keep it dimensionally stable. It should be about couple bucks a foot. For your keel: go with white oak if you can get it , ash is good too. Run a SSteel half round for the shoe. ( sold at Jamestown)PeterP

[Howard]

Construction on the Spindrift is now pushing two years (dang??), but is near the end, ready to paint.

However, back when, I wasn't as up to speed on some things as I'd like to think I am now. I used red oak for the breasthook and knees. I've heard the warnings and have watched these pieces suck up epoxy as I tried to seal them. Even so, I doubt it's completely sealed and is bound to rot out. Having thought it over, I might as well get it off there now, rather than after it's been painted and used for a while. Easier to get to and I'm in the mood.

The question is then, what to use? I have on hand western red cedar, cypress and cherry and have easy access to ash, white oak and walnut. But what I'm thinking is to go to the big box store and spring for a nice clear piece of yellow pine stair tread, in about a 4/4 or 5/4 thickness. Glued and screwed, that should last.

Given a choice, what would be ideal?

[PeterP]

How much do you plan to use your boat? Will it stay in the water all the time or will it sit on a trailer? I am refurbishing a Spin 10 for my wife - that I built 15 years ago and I am amazed how well it has lasted. Three kids sailing lessons and all. I used D. fir for breast hook and corner knees. It looks better now than when I put it in - it developed nice rich reddish brown color. I used ash for rub rail and it is still sound though it looks spotty. Bare ash will go black in water if you turn your back on it for 5min. Got to keep it coated. I've used cherry in laminations such as hatch covers on 17'- once mixed with mahogany because I ended up short of mahogany. It worked out way better than I deserved. The color is a perfect match. The cherry will darken in the sun. The point is you can use non traditional woods and still get good results. Use epoxy to keep water away from wood and UV block to protect the epoxy and you'll be fine.PeterP