Marine fir vs Okoume?

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fishingdan
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

Post by fishingdan »

To save money, I have decided to use marine ply for the hull and the transom. Most interior components will be a good exterior grade. <BR><BR>For the little bit more that Okoume will cost vs the fir, is it worth it? Is the Okoume a stronger material?
Dan

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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Hi Dan,<BR><BR>This also builds on the previous thread, I thought I´d pass this on. I called a guy up here in Lunenburg who has Merantti (sp?) and Fir. He told me that the Merantti is 1088 stamped and certified, which among other things, apparently means that they´ve x-rayed it to make sure there are no internal voids. The fir he carries is a marine grade fir, but it is not certified and not x-rayed. I assume this means that there may be hidden voids in marine fir which could cause you problems. <BR><BR>What I´m saying is, I don´t know if they would go through all this certification and x-raying if it wasn´t important. <BR><BR>BTW- his prices are a few dollars more than Boulter, but he´s 1/2 mile from me, so I´m probably going to use him.<BR><BR>-Dave P.
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fishingdan
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Dave,<BR><BR>That is great info. That sounds like a simple, but important fact. It not worth saving a $150 if there is risk of structural weekness on the hull. <BR><BR>What is the name of the retailer in your area? The time to get to Boulter or in your area is about the same with the construction in Boston. Besides, the leaves are starting to change and it might be a nice drive.<BR><BR>Today, I got started on the strong back and the mold for the OB17. For people like me, Jacques needs to add about 10 hours of garage cleaning to the build time!<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Dan<BR><BR>Thanks for the info.<BR><BR>
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Dan,<BR><BR>Congratulations on starting. I´m about to order another set of plans to make sure I´m not building too much boat for my needs.<BR><BR>Here´s what I have for information. I called this guy yesterday and he said he only has a few sheets of Merantti in stock, but that he´s ready to put in an order, so I would call him first to see if he can order exactly what you need. 978-342-9293.<BR><BR>The prices he quoted me are: <BR>1/4" Merranti $50.00/Sheet<BR>1/2" Merranti $90.00/Sheet<BR><BR>1/4" Marine Fir $48.00/Sheet<BR>1/2" Marine Fir $68.00/Sheet<BR><BR>Name: The Woodery. 110 Pleasant St. Lunenburg, MA<BR>It´s right off of 2A on the Lunenburg/Fitchburg line. Let me know if you need directions.<BR><BR>BTW- there´s also a place called Violette´s Plywood in town here, but I have not been able to reach them by phone. I was referred to them by Fitchburg Marine, but I can´t tell if they are a small manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer. I drove by the place and it´s some guys house with a big barn out back. It didn´t look like the kind of place you just drop in, so I tried to call a few times, but there´s no answer (?). You could try calling them to see what´s up there. The number from the phone book is 978-582-6340. If you try and get through would you let me know.<BR><BR>And my garage is also full of stuff, so I know exactly what you mean. I cleaned it out this spring and then filled it up with a family member´s stuff- they´re moving, guess who got the honor of storing everything- the guy with the clean garage. Lesson, build your mold quick and hang a sign- "Boat Under Construction, No Room For Your Junk".<BR><BR>Long message...sorry ´bout that.<BR><BR><BR>-Dave P.
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fishingdan
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Dave,<BR><BR>Thanks for the info. What boat are you considering?<BR><BR>Dan
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Dan,<BR><BR>Originally I had my eye on the GV17. Now I´m thinking of downsizing to the GV15. Bought both sets of plans, so I´m thinking- build the 15 first then sell it and build the 17 if it´s not big enough or my needs change.<BR><BR>-Dave
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

Post by Dyce »

Dave,<BR><BR>The prices you´ve been quoted for meranti are high. If you and Dan live near each other, you might consider combining your BOM´s and ordering from a different source and split the shipping. Even with the freight charge, I bet you could do better.<BR><BR>Doug

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Marine fir vs Okoume?

Post by MikeS »

Dave: The prices on marine fir are also way too high! I just started looking for plywood prices (East Central Florida) for my next project: first call turned up 1/4" marine fir at 29.95/sheet at a local retail lumber yard. With all the wooden boat building in New England there have to be better prices than Florida. Good hunting!<BR><BR>MikeS <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif"> <BR><BR><font size=1>[ This message was edited by: MikeS on 06-10-2002 13:58 ]</font>
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

Post by DaveProka »

Mike and Dyce,<BR><BR>It seemed outrageous to me too after reading about what other folks around the country are paying. I also figured with our boat building heritage around here, marine ply prices would be pretty reasonable. I don´t understand it. It seems everywhere I´ve checked, they are about the same around here. I haven´t tried Home Depot, but all the small lumber companies around me either don´t carry it at all, or charge about the same price. It may have something to do with the fact that there´s a lot of building going on around here, so lumber yards are only carrying the hot products. Why carry marine ply when you could fit two more bundles of CDX and sell it tomorrow. Anyway, thank you for the advice, I´m going to do some more shopping around.<BR><BR>-Dave
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Marine fir vs Okoume?

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Don´t waste time at the big name lumber places. I too thought that somewhere in massachusetts or Rhode Island ("The Ocean State"???), I would find someone with good priced marine ply. That leaves me with the boutiques and their higher prices.
Dan

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