DE25 Long Cockpit - Which Plywood, Okume or Meranti ?

JBRoberts · Post by **JBRoberts** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:56 pm

Hi all...I am starting to order my wood to start cutting the panels etc.. I am struggling on which plywood to order. The plywood kit for this says Meranti but I'm not sure why this was chosen over Okume so here is my criteria for my boat:

1) Safety first - strong and durable ?
2) Rot resistant - which is best for this ?
3) Ease to work with ?
4) What is recommendation for the DE25 LC ?

Money is not a problem so which should I go with - Okume or Meranti ?

Many thanks for your thoughts...JB

Spokaloo · Post by **Spokaloo** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:57 pm

Betwixt okume and meranti the differences are minimal, okume being the one that wins out in weight and rot resistance. I personally prefer okume because its a little easier to work with (less splinters), tends to flex a little more in places of high camber (see my lb22 versus dougster's lb22, notice all the slits in the bow to get the meranti to cooperate), but does cost more and is less available.

E

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:19 pm

Meranti is a bit stronger, about 15% heavier and is a bit tougher to bend.

Either will make a very nice boat.

Rot resistance isn't really an issue with this type of construction. If you suffer some damage that exposes wood with either a quick repair to minimize exposure is prudent.

Okoume is about 30 to 40% (it fluctuates) more money.

So it's a personal and budget choice, either would be perfect.

TomW · Post by **TomW** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:32 pm

If you want to make your own decision there is a very good section in the plywood section on the differences.

I want to make one correction, Meranti is more rot resistant. That is why it is heavier do to its tighter grain. See above.

Jacque has a saying that the weight savings in a larger boat it makes less of a difference than using Okoume in a smaller boat. I believe this is because there is more space, wood takes up less volume. His estimate is 10% on a 20-22' boat.

Also the bends become gentler and you can pull the Mercante into place easier. My .02. Some boats are an exception.

Tom

Spokaloo · Post by **Spokaloo** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:05 am

Interesting tom, Ive actually had more rot issues with meranti, but it might have been because the place I get it from receives plywood from several different distributors.

E

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:44 am

Over all the weight savings might be 10%, I was referring to the plywood, is about 15% different. only.

Post by **jacquesmm** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:21 am

Meranti has better resistance to rot than Okoume but as someone wrote, it is irrelevant with our method of construction.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:56 am

Meranti on a big boat. It is much stiffer and cheaper. Weight is not an issue on a DE25.

JBRoberts · Post by **JBRoberts** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:03 pm

Thank you for all your comments.

I guess the decision will come down to which wood would make the DE25 LC more stable in the water - is it better to go with the heavier meranti or the lighter okume ?

I'm not sure about boat design and the DE25 is certainly a nice light boat but having the extra wood weight make any difference in stability ?

Many thanks...JB

Post by **jacquesmm** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:18 pm

The boat was designed with Meranti in mind. That is what I used in the weight calculations.

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