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Redwood for boat building


Fishman38

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Don't believe I have seen Redwood mentioned as an option for stringers and the like.  Not sure why.  Where I live I'm more likely to find clear redwood than any of the other species suggested.  So, is the issue price, strength, moisture content or something else?  Or is redwood the same

thing as western red cedar?  (I don't think that's the case)

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Well, I actually mentioned redwood when I asked about suitable woods for my Spindrift, and was dissuaded from using it by some of the replies. In building a bench, I found redwood to be pretty soft and prone to splintering. I do remember reading about "redwood canoes" before, so perhaps it is more suitable for strip type applications?

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Redwood will weather and last forever if used for siding homes, etc.  I have some that I removed from my 1940 built home and through it out in the yard and after about 10 years it is still in good shape.  I built a redwood stripper canoe about 30 years ago.  It is fiberglassed on both sides with 6 oz glass and has held up very well and still going.

 

However, I used some of it on some floorboards on my CS 17 and they have broken and split several times.  The wood as you say tends to shatter.

 

Dale

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Aside from the question of using it in boat building, when I lived in California most folks seemed to consider it the go to wood for decks etc.  My house here at 6300 feet in arid Colorado has two redwood decks, upper level and lower level built in '84 still in great shape.  In about '95 I added a detached garage/workshop with a flat roof and and build a deck on the roof of the exact same type of redwood i.e. construction grade not heartwood..  Within five years it was beginning to badly deteriorate.  In 2011 I rebuilt it with pressure treated wood.  Go figure!   The reason I think was 1) the space between the bottom of the deck and the roofing is 6-11 inches and doesn't get a lot of ventillation 2)I did not treat the underside of the boards prior to installing and of course no way to do it afterward.  So snowmelt kept the underside damp for long periods. 

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We built our current house in 1990 and used a variety of wood on the deck. Joists and support poles were built from CCA. Railing is western red cedar and decking itself was redwood. Now, 22 years later, the CCA and WRC are still good.  After 22 years, redwood deck portion is rotting out and needs to be replaced. We get about 35 inches of rain per year and the deck is shaded half the day. 

 

Beyond that, we got an infestation of carpenter bees in the redwood and WRC. They loved the stuff! Got that stopped when we discovered you could pump the holes with liquid Sevin mix. Kills both the bees and the larva to break the life cycle.

 

Anyway, I used some leftover scraps of redwood, plus douglas fir, WRC and hem fir to build the laminated CB and rudder for my Spindrift. They were glassed and finished bright. I've not had any trouble with them and the redwood is almost chocolate colored compared to the other lighter woods. In a lamination, it makes for a nice contrasting color.   I used WRC for all the cleats and most of the structural wood in the Spindrift. No issues yet.

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I have the carpenter bee thing as well.  I'm have been to lazy to climb up and use the pesticide.  I will this summer as my sail boat is kept in the shed.  I have shot many with a BB gun, that is tough let me tell you.  They like to buzz you when you are working in their territory.  Some tack metal window screen to their rafters.  They can't get through the metal.  Its a lot of work, but permanent.

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:) I have a friend that uses a bat mitten racket for entertainment on his deck for these little pests, we call them wood bees around here. He loves the sound they make when he makes a good hit. ( Thooningg ) Kind of strange entertainment, he got 84 one year, I think he needs a girl friend or another boat. :)

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The BB gun method almost makes me wish we had those little critters up here!  Growing up in the south (LA) we had a bee that bored (guessing here, it's been several decades since I saw one) 3/8 inch perfectly round hole usually in the bottom side of the ceiling joists in our garage.  We thought they were just another type of bumblebee but probably what ya'll are calling carpenter bees.  I never knew if they did any real damage to that garage but seems possible.

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They are carpenter bees and if allowed to run wild, they can do some serious damage. The joists are riddled with their runs.

 

When we were kids, my cousin found an innovative solution similar to the BB gun method. He used a .22 revolver loaded with birdshot rounds. At a distance of about 2 feet, they more or less exploded. We are lucky to be alive.

 

Anyway, a better solution is to mix up a garden sprayer with liquid Sevin mix and pump the holes full of it. Larvae winter over in the wood, hatch, come out to fly around and buzz you, then go back in to lay the eggs for next year. The Sevin dries to a powder that gets on the adults and the larvae when they hatch. A couple treatments breaks the cycle. You may have to spot treat now and then, but it does work to eliminate them.

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