FS14 Plywood vs Marine Plywood

[Rojo]

My friend is building an FS14 as his first boat. To reduce cost, he's thinking of substituting exterior grade regular plywood for marine ply and covering all sides with fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Sound OK?

[silentneko]

He will end up paying more then he would with real marine plywood. Exterior grade has voids and knots that need filling and smoothing, and will not bend as well, it also weighs a lot more. If he needs to save money use meranti instead of okoume ply, I actually prefer it as its stronger, but heavier by a little.

[Jeff]

Completely agree with Silentneko!!! He will only be wasting his money on trash plywood!!! Jeff

[Capt UB]

There is APA marine plywood (made in America), it's Douglas Fir, not as many plys, not good for bending, checks and just a few dollars less. The Fir ply will need to be covered with glass to stop the checking, that's more epoxy and cloth then using the good stuff...

Make life easier, just buy Meranti or Okoume marine plywood. If you build it with the good stuff, you can beat the boat to death and not have to worry about the ply coming apart.... My FS14 SandPiper hit a log in the river, HARD! We came out of the water.... Slowly went back to the ramp and pulled her out.... Nothing broke, just a mark along the keel. Douglas Fir or Ext ply probably would have cracked....

[Fuzz]

There is a thread about a guy who built a beautiful small boat out of cheap plywood. I need to bookmark it. After 2-3 years it had checked and de-laminated so badly that he cut it up and hauled it to the dump. You can fix just about anything on these boats but you can not save a hull that is falling apart. Use good wood, it is cheaper in the long run.

[topwater]

I think that boat was a OD 16 maybe Plumer Tuck

[Dougster]

This cheap ply substitute is a perennial topic that always ends with don't do it. Do a quick search. If you really want to save money, buy a used boat. If you want to build a boat, or just have a boat you're proud of that fits you to a tee, this is the place

Dougster

[Nick Werner]

I’ve used meranti and it is so easy to plane and work with. The cheap stuff, on the other hand, is a headache. It’s too hard, the voids catch on tool edges, it looks bad, doesn’t take paint as well.
Go for the good stuff.

[Netpackrat]

https://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?t=16772

[Rojo]

Thanks all!