Why should I use Okoume vs Fir?

[Charlie Jones]

fir is heaviest. And won't have the same number of lams

[olp4835]

Thanks, Do you know where I can find the merianti ?  Thanks, Otto

[Greg Luckett]

Thanks, Do you know where I can find the merianti ?  Thanks, Otto

Where are you located?

[olp4835]

I am in  Central Florida.. 

On the World Paneling web site in Rivera Fl, about 1.5 hrs south, they are selling the meranti for $35. per sheet....  I think this might be the ticket..  It is 5 ply for the 1/4 inch stuff, and they say it is stamped 1088..

Next week I'll take the drive after I talk to them by phone..

Thanks, Otto

[Oyster]

I am in  Central Florida..   

On the World Paneling web site in Rivera Fl, about 1.5 hrs south, they are selling the meranti for $35. per sheet....   I think this might be the ticket..  It is 5 ply for the 1/4 inch stuff, and they say it is stamped 1088..

Next week I'll take the drive after I talk to them by phone..

Thanks, Otto

You will find them service oriented. Jeff is the head garu if Florida. They have a place also in North Carolina, and on the great lakes, and ship almost the same day if anyone needs wood at a decent price, while enjoying service oriented folks. Alan is the head garu in N.C. and has been known to talk funny. LOL!!!

[Greg Luckett]

Oyster, where is the place on the Great Lakes?  I Googled "World Paneling" but did not locate the web site.

$35 for 6mm Merianti BS1088 sounds good to me.

[Oyster]

http://www.worldpanel.com/

GREAT LAKES:   929, Elliott Road, Albion, MI 49224

From 94, take exit 119 if heading east from Battle Creek, follow 26 and make a left onto W Michigan Ave. Follow about 1.5 miles and make a right on Elliott Road. Building is abt. 200 yards on the left side - you can't miss it.

From 94, take exit 121 if heading west from Detroit, make a right after 1st stop and another right towards McDonalds (Eaton Street), follow to 2nd light and make a right down Austin Ave. Go through 1 light (which turns to Michigan Ave) and continue until you see Culligan (blue buildings) on the left side, Elliott Road is immediately after Culligan. Make a left and building is abt. 200 yards on the left side - you can't miss it.

[PAR]

This will get you there Greg . . .

http://worldpanel.com/

[Greg Luckett]

Thanks, Gentlemen.

I went to that site and did not find Merianti at $35 or any at all, and their pricing is considerably higher than I currently can find locally.  An example: 6mm Okume BS1088, $69 vs $52 per sheet.  Albion, MI, is about 100 miles from here, which would not be too bad for a larger material run, but the pricing is not good.  Maybe this is another reason to move to a warmer climate??

[Oyster]

Thanks, Gentlemen.

I went to that site and did not find Merianti at $35 or any at all, and their pricing is considerably higher than I currently can find locally.  An example: 6mm Okume BS1088, $69 vs $52 per sheet.  Albion, MI, is about 100 miles from here, which would not be too bad for a larger material run, but the pricing is not good.  Maybe this is another reason to move to a warmer climate??

Hum...... something doesn't sound quite right. Tommorrow I will check with Al and see what we can do about this difference.

[Oyster]

On their website the meranti is actually listed as Hydracore 1088. Compare the costs of that and you may be a bit closer Greg. But I would call them directly and I think you will find the pricing structure to be simular in all the locations especially when you are buying enough for a boat and willing to drive and pick it up, because I do not know if they deliver in your regions by their own trucks. World Panel is very consumer friendly, one of the few businesses left that you actually deal with human beings on the same plane as some of us, or so has been my experience.

[Greg Luckett]

I thought the Hydracore might be the Merianti BS1088, but it is not explained.  It shows a price of $47.80 per 6mm sheet. 

Noah's sells it at $39/sheet, or $37.05/sheet 10 or more. 

Johnson's Workbench was running about $40 last time I priced it with them.

I will call World Panel and see what they say, as you have suggested Oyster.

Thanks for the help and advice.  I am always seeking better sources of supply.

Greg.

[olp4835]

I have been l;ooking at alot of web sites for the plywood. The Meranti bs6566 is $35.95 a sheet at  boatbuildercentral.com    .  The 1088 is 47.00 a sheet. 

World paneling is at $47.  per sheet for the 1088 also....

Otto

[sandy claws]

Fir plywood is excellant material and I would never use anything but Fir......on an outhouse, or a shed but certainly nothing I would expect to bring me home when the wind kicks up. I laminated a pieceof fir plywood to a piece of marine plywood and before(thank God) I was to put it together I noticed that the plywood delaminated! And not where I glued it together, but between the plys! The cheapest material you can use for a boat is the best marine plywood you can afford. It will also finish up smoother with a lot less epoxy use as well (which saves money). The difference in cost of marine plywood is not enough to worry about!

Rog...

[jawilco]

I guess I should have specified that the fir I had in mind was a marine grade fir plywood.

[sandy claws]

The surface finish of the okoume is smoother and therefore will require less work and materials to finsh bringing the cost of okoume probably equal if not possibly cheaper than the fir. The initial 1 coat of epoxy smoothed out with quickfair is the only way to go. Quickfair sands so much quicker and easier than anything else.

Rog...

[jawilco]

Roger that. I'll dig deep when the time comes, and the product will be better for it. The skin flint in me wants to save a buck, but deep down I know it's a false savings.

[PAR]

In traditional building methods, the planking material is generally the best or some of the best on the boat for obvious reasons, it keeps your socks dry. Most of the newer methods haven't discounted this need much if at all.

[Howard]

Some visuals.

The fir is the remnant of a full sheet of 3/4 inch marine fir I ordered about 5 years ago. The other two are samples of 1088 Okume and Meranti (Hydrotek, the 1088 stuff). These actually measure 11/16th's ((18 mm)and not a full 3/4 inch.On the fir, notice it has 7 plys vs. 13 for the other two. The more plys, the stronger and less likely it is to fail. Voids are potential failure points if the plywood is tortured, and also voids are good places for moisture to accumulate.

The fir came with surface flaws repaired (this remnant 2 x 7 sheet has 8 footballs on one side), but even so, it still has a lot of surface flaws. Checks are filled with something that resembles Bondo. Is this representative of the quality? Don't know, it's the only sheet I ordered. $75 way back then. I also got a sheet of 1/4" and while not as bad, similar. It has 3 plys vs. the 5 for 1/4 inch Okume, which had no flaws at all.

Interesting that the Okume looks to be two 3/8" pieces glued together.

The dark areas are coated with epoxy. Gives an indication of color if finished bright. The Mertanti is dark, about like walnut.

Dark streaks on these last two photos are checks/voids on the surface. Grooves really.