This part of the site contents all kinds of restorations, partly, just the bottom or deck and even so
total restorations of just a skeleton or of boats with lots of hidden rotten places.
For the eye nice boats but for the real enthousiats much reasons to restore the boat partly or totally.
total restorations of just a skeleton or of boats with lots of hidden rotten places.
For the eye nice boats but for the real enthousiats much reasons to restore the boat partly or totally.
The pleasures and pitfalls of a boat restoration
The prospect of saving an older boat and restoring her to her former glory is an alluring and romantic one. It has seized many an individual, and offers emotional, spiritual, and sometimes practical rewards, to those whose wisdom and skill are up to the task. There are tremendous differences between new boat costs and used boat costs. This, combined with the backing of such publications as WoodenBoat Magazine and the appreciation of older boats which they have created, has made the climate right for restoration projects in all materials.
Unfortunately there are pitfalls in the restoration scenario, and the inexperienced amateur should get some well-founded professional advice before embarking on a large-scale project.
The most commonly forgotten aspect of boat restoration is resale value. Whatever they may plan at the outset, most people don’t keep a boat for their whole lives. When it comes time to sell, they can get a reward for their efforts if they keep the future buyer in mind while planning and executing a restoration.
Too often romance and emotion so sway a person's judgment that they forget one of these common principles of a good restoration:
Get a survey before you buy. A good survey is always a list of faults, so a boat doesn't "pass" or "fail". The survey will shape the game plan for your restoration. The surveyor should be able to prioritize the faults he finds, and help you to distinguish between things that must be fixed before the boat can be used, and those which can be put off. The survey may help you to avoid buying a boat that needs more work than you want to tackle. Most often, the list of faults will not reduce your desire to own the boat. However, it may well reduce what you are willing to pay for her, and it may convince the owner to sell for less. Get a professional, reputable surveyor. His fee will be repaid to you many times in the most practical ways.
As a general rule, buy the smallest boat that will provide the kind of room and sailing you need. An increase in size not only increases materials costs for a restoration, but also the labor time for that restoration and the fixed expenses such as storage, mooring fees, etc. Remember that every item of rigging, deck hardware, or engine related machinery will be bigger and more expensive the larger the boat is. The smaller boat will be finished in less time with less money, and will in most cases be easier to sail with a smaller crew. You should have some idea where the money needed to restore the boat is going to come from. Saving a little up front by buying a smaller boat is a really good place to start. Note that long-term liveaboards tend to have smaller boats with fewer "systems" than those just starting out--a good clue as to what is really practical.
Be certain you are putting your time and money into a fundamentally good design. The value of the boat will be much higher when you are finished, and she may be easier to sell promptly should that need occur. A successful boat from a well-known designer, well built to begin with, will be a much better start on a restoration than most others. This is a very good thing to consult a professional about, because the trained eye will perceive a lot about the fundamental worthiness of the boat you are considering. Make changes to the original design with the greatest caution. Seek professional advice and probably drawings from a Naval Architect, if the changes are to be in areas more major than simple accessories. When in doubt, restore to original. The higher you hope the value of your boat will become, the more likely you are to be selling her to a connoisseur of boats, to whom details and authenticity may have great importance.
There is no doubt that the most efficient way to restore a boat is all at once. The overall cost will be lower due to the avoidance of duplicated labor and inflation. The overall time frame will be shorter. Some of the frustrations will be less because you can often remove physical obstructions to your work instead of working around them. However, we strongly recommend that you not take this approach unless you know you will have the time and money to complete the project. A boat which is largely taken apart and is months away from sailing may represent a great deal of time and money to you. However, to a prospective buyer she will have practically no value at all. While the boat is being disassembled, the market value will actually decline rapidly to almost zero. It will remain there until the boat is obviously approaching completion, whereupon if you have done good work it will of course rise again. But the worst time to sell a boat is when she cannot be put in the water and sailed. She doesn't look like a complete unit, and is lacking much of the appeal and personality she will have when complete.
If you do take the all-at-once route, don't stop maintaining the parts of the boat you are not working on, or you'll have to put more work into them later. As you complete repairs to an area, apply the finishes to them, so that the "done" areas look "done". You'll feel better about everything, and if you do have a change of plans and have to sell, the value retained in the boat will be much more evident to the buyer. Make sure everything you have removed but are saving for re-use is labeled, organized, and protected from the weather. Consider a "sailing restoration" as discussed below, as an alternative to the full-scale, all at once restoration scenario.
Even if you are not a professional, you should try to produce professional results in your restoration work. Take time to plan the results you want, and the techniques and materials you will use. Most amateurs can achieve professional results. The only difference will be the speed with which you can accomplish them. Get advice on how to make each repair, and don't forget to mention that you want the repair to maximize the value of the boat when you are done. Usually this will mean repairing in a manner that duplicates, or improves upon, the original construction. Avoid solutions that cover up problems rather than fixing them, or which add structural members without removing damaged ones. Make your repairs good-looking and well finished, even if they are in areas you wouldn't normally see. The Buyer will look there!
Boatyard labor is virtually all handwork and is not subject to savings by dividing into repetitive tasks or automation. Due to the inefficiencies of repair work as opposed to new construction, a large-scale professional restoration on a badly deteriorated boat could cost more than a new boat. Remember the new boat price is clearly the absolute ceiling of the market value of any restoration. Price these things out carefully. If you have the budget it may very well be more practical to transfer reusable portions of the original boat to a new hull and deck than to repair the old boat. In any event you are unlikely to get all of your investment back from a broad scale professional restoration if you have everything done. However, you may pay a great deal for the last 20% of perfection, and an 80% professional restoration may well pay for itself at resale. It may be most practical economically to leave some things undone. If the yard will allow you to do whatever work falls within your level of skill and available time, you can save a great deal. Painting and varnishing are vitally important to the resale value, but they are also a high percentage of the costs in a restoration. The same goes for removal work, cleaning, wiring, plumbing, and hardware installation. If you learn to do a good job of these things yourself, it may tip the balance toward economic justification of the restoration.
A small percentage of people actually purchase boats for the restoration project itself, and we say more power to them. However, for most of us, a restoration is a way to get sailing at a feasible cost level, or to get a really nice boat for the price of a mediocre one.
If the point is in fact the result more than the process, we strongly suggest what we call a sailing restoration. That is the restoration work is executed in projects small enough that they can each be completed during the winter months. The boat is launched for a season's use every year. There are multiple benefits to this approach. Getting use out of the boat each year keeps the enthusiasm level way up, and the focus practical. In many cases a boat in this type of program seems to be fixed up faster than others because this yearly infusion of energy keeps the project from stalling. If the boat is always close to being ready to sail, her value stays up and gradually improves. It never takes the big dip mentioned above in connection with full-scale restorations. Materials costs occur in smaller lumps spread over greater time periods, and are easier to justify when they follow on the heels of a nice sailing season. Routine maintenance of the boat as needed for seasonal use will keep the boat as a whole from declining while the focus of the restoration is in one particular area. If a yard is doing the work the costs will be much easier for most people to deal with, as they are spread over time. Last but not least, spouses, children, and partners who are more enthused about sailing than boat work will continue to support your efforts and understand their value.
We urge people who are sailing their restoration to be a little more relaxed about their boat's appearance than they might otherwise be. That new-boat look will come in spots, and with time. There's no denying the grandeur of a polished gold-plate yacht. Certainly the new fiberglass boat every few years crowd may look at your unsightly areas and shake their heads. However, we maintain that there is a special look to a sailing restoration that commands respect and offers its own particular rewards. In the early stages only you may notice that your bilges are dry and the interior no longer smells musty. However, next year your friends will notice that your topsides have suddenly become smooth and fair, or that your brightwork has regained its former color and shine. It may take an informed eye to perceive where you've fought a holding action and where you've advanced, but those are, after all, the eyes whom we all most care to impress. While probably nothing can match the satisfaction of building a new boat, or a full-scale restoration, this reversal of the aging process over time has a valiant quality all its own. For most people we feel it is the best approach.
In most cases there is a lot to be gained by using your project boat before you either make changes in her or begin a broad-scale restoration. Very often the virtues of a boat as she was designed and built are not obvious at first, and some feature you think you will hate may actually turn out to be desirable. When you purchase a boat you may feel that a certain problem is the most important item to attend to, but after sailing her other problems may seem more urgent. Even more importantly, you may find you don't like the boat for some reason or that your needs are different than you first thought, and this will guide you toward a different project. The most common version of this scenario is when a couple with little sailing experience decides they will move aboard and go voyaging. Some actual exposure to the day-to-day aspects of the experience reveals that one of the people actually hates offshore sailing, or living aboard of any kind. In some ways this makes the future choice of boats easier in that they can be restricted to smaller inshore boats or day sailers. Unless, of course, someone selects a new spouse to go with the present boat! In any case it is well if these realizations occur before a lengthy restoration, not after.
When selecting a vessel for restoration, one of the earliest considerations must be the construction material. Usually the concept of restoration implies that the boat is made of wood, that being the type of older boat which is usually regarded as a classic type worth repairing. Most people find that wooden boat work tends to be more enjoyable than that involving other materials. Because of the replaceability of their individual parts, it is easy to envision a wooden boat lasting indefinitely under proper care, and this adds to the appeal of the process. Wooden boat values appear to be stable and predictable, whereas fiberglass boat values are currently shaky and the future of those prices is uncertain.
One of the most critical aspects of a restoration is the sequence in which the work is to be done. In the case of a broad scale total rebuild this may be fairly obvious in that everything which is deteriorated or in the way will probably be removed almost immediately for the sake of convenience. The primary considerations will be the avoidance of duplicated effort, and taking care not to weaken the vessel such that she will lose her shape while she is being rebuilt.
In a sailing restoration, decisions concerning sequence may be much more complicated, and so many factors are involved that we cannot cover all possibilities here. However, there are some basic guidelines that may be worth mentioning. In nearly every case, the first priority must be to arrest deterioration. In many boats this is a matter of halting deck leaks, increasing ventilation, upgrading finishes, and treating deteriorated areas.
Within obvious limits it is better to have a leaky hull than a leaky deck. At least bilge water is in the bilge. Rainwater leaking through the deck is the enemy of everything inside the boat and creates a perfect climate for rot. This is to say nothing of the misery a deck leak can cause when it's over your berth or the corn flakes.
Ventilation helps to counteract all moisture-related deterioration within the boat, and it would be hard to have too much. We have seen dramatic results from the installation of solar-powered ventilators with integral batteries. We strongly recommend them for all boats, with the sole caveat that the ones we have encountered do make a slight noise. You can get ventilators with brass housings. This may eliminate any negative visual impact on traditionally styled boats.
The importance of cleanliness is often overlooked. If a boat is filled with mildew and dirt then the circumstances are obviously perfect for rot. Rot is itself a spore-transmitted fungus. A good scrubbing with Lysol and soap on at least a yearly basis will go a long way toward halting deterioration.
We have noted that Cuprinol wood preservative will usually halt the progress of rot in a wooden member, if generously applied. In older boats where one is concerned that there may be rot taking place which may not be noticed, we suggest liberally applying Cuprinol to the bilge area and any other areas of bare wood inside the hull. This is especially good in areas that may not be directly viewable, such as behind non-removable interior hull sheathing. Use clear Cuprinol in iron or stainless fastened boats, and green in all others. Note: Since the above was written, clear Cuprinol has been replaced by a water-based product which appears to be useless for this purpose. If the reader knows of a non-copper-containing oil-based wood preservative on the market, we would like to know about it. Green (copper containing) Cuprinol appears to be unaltered. In the meantime, our best suggestion in ferrous-fastened boats would be to use a penetrating oil as described below.
In younger boats where the need to directly kill rot spores is not felt to be of primary importance, we would apply an oil mixture instead of the Cuprinol. The oil should be absorbed by the wood to good effect and probably has a beneficial effect on metal fastenings. Use tung or linseed oil cut about 50/50 with turpentine, or Deks Olje # 1.
We apply either the Cuprinol or the oil mixture about every other year. This should be done after the surfaces to be treated have been cleaned, if possible, and dried.
It would also be well to remove any rot that can be found from the boat. Rotten wood has no strength anyway, so it might as well be gotten out of the boat before it can spread, rather than leaving it in just because the affected piece looks better whole.
Another form of deterioration, which should be checked for and halted, is electrolysis due to stray electrical currents or dissimilar metals in electrical contact. This is too broad a subject to cover in detail here, and we refer the reader to the very good WoodenBoat Magazine articles on the subject. In general it is a good idea to remove any kind of central bonding systems which connect hardware together with wires or copper straps. It is important to have proper zincs protecting those items made of the least "noble" metals in your boat. Beware of battery chargers or other items left permanently plugged into marina power, as current can leak through moisture or other contacts, and electrolysis problems can be greatly accelerated. Don't forget that wood can be deteriorated by electrolysis too, so it may not be only your hardware that is at risk.
Next on the restorer's list should probably be hull leaks which are caused by flexibility of the hull or misalignment of planking. The causes are usually deteriorated fastenings or cracked frames, and the priority areas are usually those near the mast step, in the tuck, or near the turn of the bilge where strains are concentrated. Leaks not caused by flexibility or misalignment of the planking may very often be completely cured by simply replacing the seam compound. We usually use two-part polysulfide over polysulfide primer. Do not disturb the caulking or add caulking unless you are absolutely certain it is necessary, and hire a professional caulker if possible. Nine times out of ten more caulking will hurt the boat rather than help, and a bad caulking job can make things even worse. Contrary to popular belief it is very rare for a boat to require generalized re-caulking.
The restoration sequence from here forward depends completely on the individual case.
LUMBER SPECIES FOR BOAT BUILDING
While there are probably thousands of different wood species throughout the world, most of them are not suitable for boat building.
Many woods are unsuitable for at least one of a variety of reasons. They may be too weak, too brittle, too soft, subject to decay, will not hold fastenings well, or the trees may be too short to yield lengths of material suitable for boat building. In the following descriptions, those woods which have been proven in use in boat building over a period of literally generations in the United States are noted, as well as some which may be of only limited value or which are unsuitable, but are often confused with similar suitable types.
Even though many types are imported, they are often readily available. The nomenclature of the various woods given is the commercial name. Where the wood may be known under other names, these have been listed in parentheses.
Weights of each wood are given per cubic foot and per board foot at 15% moisture content on an average basis. Variations in weights, however, will occur in a given species due to variations in moisture content, heartwood to sapwood ratio, and other factors.
For practical purposes a wood that weighs under 2.5 lbs. per board foot is considered light in weight. A wood that exceeds about 3.3 lbs. per board foot is considered heavy. Woods that weigh between these figures are considered medium weight woods. The descriptions are broken down
into the two categories; hardwoods and softwoods. Because of their special qualities and limited uses, not all the woods listed are applicable to boat building with plywood; but they are noted since they are often sold in lumberyards specializing in boat building woods.
HARDWOODS
APITONG
44 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.67 lbs. per board foot.
Abundant in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Guinea, There are many different species, however, they look very much alike.
Sapwood is creamy yellow, gray, or reddish white, while heartwood is reddish purple or brown. The grain is usually straight.
The wood is slow to dry, does not take preservatives too well, is moderately low in decay resistance, and somewhat difficult to work.
Apitong is very hard, strong, holds fastenings very well, and is often substituted for white oak but it is not nearly as durable.
ASH, WHITE
42 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.5 lbs. per board foot.
A domestic wood grown mainly in the Eastern states. The heartwood is brown, while the sapwood is light in color or nearly white.
The wood is hard, fairly strong, straight grained, and suitable for steam bending. It can be substituted for white oak in areas that will not be continually moist. Decay resistance is low. Often used for small boat framing, oars, tillers, and joinerywork.
ELM,
ROCK
44 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.67 lbs. per board foot
A domestic wood that grows in the North Central and Northern states. It has only limited use in boat building, mainly because it is
suitable for steam bending. The wood is hard, strong, and shock resistant, which makes it suited well for small boats utilizing steam bent frames and laminated members. Decay resistance is fair at best and the wood tends to warp.
GREENHEART
61 lbs. per cubic foot, 5.08 lbs. per board foot
The wood is native to South America and the West Indies, however, it is imported mostly from Guiana.
The heartwood is extremely decay resistant and has a reputation for being highly resistant to marine borers that may not be completely deserved when used in tropical waters. The wood was once a favorite with European builders since it is stiff and very strong.
Its color varies from pale greenish-yellow to deep brownish purple, with little difference between sapwood and heartwood.
The high weight can be a considerable disadvantage in some designs. Being a very hard, dense wood, it can be more difficult to work than other hardwoods.
IROKO
40 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.33 lbs. per board foot
The tree comes from tropical Africa and is much like teak, but not as strong. The heartwood is decay resistant and somewhat resistant to marine borers. The wood is hard, but moderately easy to work. Heartwood is light to greenish yellow, but darkens to brown upon exposure to light and air. Iroko is very popular for boat building in Europe.
IRONBARK (eucalyptus)
62 lbs. per cubic foot, 5.17 lbs. per board foot
Several species of Eucalyptus called red and gray ironbark are native to Australia where they are most used. Heartwood is red to dark brown,
and sapwood is light colored. The heartwood has good decay resistance, and is resistant to some forms of marine borers.
The wood is very hard, heavy, strong, and shrinks moderately. Because of its high weight, the wood can be a major disadvantage in many types of
boats.
LIGNUMVITAE (ironwood)
76 lbs. per cubic foot, 6.33 lbs. per board foot
One of the hardest and heaviest woods known, it is found in Central America and the West Indies. The wood is naturally impregnated with
oils which makes it suitable for propeller and rudder shaft bearings (its major function) as long as shaft RPM is not too high.
Heartwood varies from olive brown or blue to dark brown or nearly black, while sapwood is cream colored.
The heartwood is very resistant to decay and abrasion. The wood is often used for keel and worm shoes, rubbing strakes, etc. It is extremely strong with regard to crushing and hardness.
MAHOGANY, AFRICAN (khaya, utile)
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.67 lbs. per board foot
Very similar to genuine mahogany, it comes from Africa. Color ranges from light pink to bright red or reddish brown, but is not as variable as mahogany. The wood is hard, strong, decay resistant, of low shrinkage, and seasons well. There are several species of so-called "African"
mahoganies, but those listed above are the most suitable for boat building.
MAHOGANY, HONDURAS (Mexican mahogany)
34 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.83 lbs. per board foot
True mahogany grows in the West Indies, Central America, the northern part of South America, and some in the southern part of Florida.
The types frequently used in boating are called Honduras and Mexican mahoganies. Color varies from deep red to reddish brown in
the heartwood, with sapwood a pale yellow. The heartwood is decay resistant, fairly strong, and seasons well, with low and uniform shrinkage.
Hardness, weight, and strength can vary depending on where the lumber is from, with the Central American variety being more variable.
MAHOGANY, PHILIPPINE (tangile, red luan, white luan, tiaong)
39 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.25 lbs. per board foot
The many varieties of so-called "Philippine mahogany" are really types of tropical cedar common to the Philippines even though they resemble true mahogany. The dark red varieties are harder, heavier, more decay resistant, and stronger than the light red varieties that are usually limited to nonstructural joinerywork. The trees yield large, clear boards, although interlocked grain can make seasoning some times difficult.
OAK, WHITE
47 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.83 lbs. per board foot
White oak is a domestic Eastern wood often used in boat building. The problem with white oak, however, is distinguishing it from red oak that is not
nearly as suitable for boat building since it is weaker and rots easily unless pressure treated with preservatives.
The following characteristics should help in separating white oak from red oak. The heartwood pores will be plugged with abundant hair-like grow ths known as tyloses, whereas red oak will contain few. The heartwood of white oak is tan or light brown, while that of red oak is reddish or pink. The pores in summer wood are very small and numerous in white oak, but with red oak they are few, large, and open.
A chemical test using benzidine-sodium nitrate turns white oak heartwood dark brown or greenish brown, but that of red oak turns light orange. White oak is excellent for steam bending but should ideally be "green" for this purpose and not seasoned. It is durable, stiff, strong, hard, holds fastenings very well, is rot resistant, but is somewhat difficult to work and requires sharp tools.
Because of the gallic acid in white oak, it reacts with plastic resin glue when submerged in salt water, and therefore this glue should not be used with white oak under these conditions.
OKOUME (gaboon)
27 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.08 lbs. per board foot.
This West African wood produces large, clear logs of uniform straight grain. The heartwood is salmon pink or pale pinkish brown resembling some types of Philippine mahogany. The sapwood is grayish. It is only fairly strong considering other woods, but strong for its weight, although low
in resistance to decay. The wood splinters easily and is best sawn with carbide tipped blades.
It has little use in plywood boat building except in smaller boats where lightweight is more important than durability.
Some imported plywood is made from this wood.
TEAK
43 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.58 lbs. per board foot
Probably the most decay resistant wood in the world, but it is not totally immune to marine borer attack. The wood grows in Burma, India, Thailand, and the East Indies. Sapwood is white to pale yellowish brown, while heartwood is a dark golden yellow that darkens with age.
The wood has a rough oily feel, is straight grained and coarse, strong, hard, of low shrinkage, and easily worked but brittle, and tends to dull tools. Very commonly used for decking, joinerywork, and frequently left unfinished, it is a very durable wood.
Glues used with this wood must be selected with care.
SOFTWOODS
CEDAR, ALASKA
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.67 lbs. per board foot
Grows along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Oregon. The heartwood is bright clear yellow, while the thin layer of sapwood, which is barely visible,
is a shade lighter. The wood has a fine uniform texture with low shrinkage, and is moderately strong. Heartwood is high in decay resistance, and works and finishes well.
CEDAR, ATLANTIC WHITE (Southern white cedar, swamp cedar, juniper)
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
The wood is soft, brittle, weak, and splits readily. However, it is low in shrinkage even though it soaks up considerable water.
Because of this and its decay resistance, the wood is frequently used for conventional planking, especially in areas where the material is grown (notably along the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf states mainly in swamps), and on boats which will. be in and out of the water frequently.
It has little use in plywood boat building.
CEDAR, NORTHERN WHITE
21 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.75 lbs. per board foot
Very similar to Atlantic white cedar, but because of small trees, its use is limited to small boat construction only, especially conventional
planking. It is grown mostly in the Northeastern United States, and has little use in plywood boat building.
CEDAR, PORT ORFORD
30 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.5 lbs. per board foot
Grown in limited areas of Northern California and Southern Oregon, it is the preferred species of boat building cedars.
Although only moderately strong, it is the strongest cedar and the heaviest before seasoning. The heartwood is light yellow to pale brown with
a distinctive spicy odor. The wood is fine and uniform in texture, moderately hard, shrinks moderately, seasons well,
and is very resistant to rot.
CEDAR, WESTERN RED
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Pacific Northwest, the wood has narrow white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood. It is rather soft and weak, shrinks very little, and the heartwood has good resistance to decay. The grain is uniform and straight although somewhat coarse and brittle.
While often used for conventional planking, it is not highly recommended for this use. However, for veneers for use in cold molded hull planking, the material is excellent.
CYPRESS, BALD (red cypress, yellow cypress, white cypress)
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.76 lbs. per board foot
Grown along the Southeastern coastal states of the United States, often in swamps. Heartwood near salt water varies from reddish to almost black, while the heartwood from farther inland is only slightly reddish or yellowish brown. Moderately strong, it is highly decay resistant, but soaks up a lot of moisture. Its primary use is in conventional planking, and therefore has little use in plywood boat building.
DOUGLAS-FIR (yellow fir, Oregon pine)
34 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.83 lbs. per board foot
This boat building lumber comes from the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. It is not a true fir, thus the hyphenated name.
Unseasoned green lumber is common and should be avoided. The heartwood tends to be pinkish to yellow in color, with mature growths being of
straight, uniform, and dense grained. Younger trees tend to have more knots. The wood is strong, moderately hard, moderately decay resistant in the heartwood, splits relatively easily, does not bend or steam bend readily, and is fairly easy to work.
Douglas-fir is sometimes used for making spars in place of Sitka spruce, and in these applications, the wood should be free of defects,
well seasoned, and of vertical grain for strength.
LARCH, EASTERN (hackmatack, tamarack)
30 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.5 lbs. per board foot
The species grows mainly in the Northern and Northeastern coastal states, but is related to western larch.
The heartwood is yellowish brown, while the sapwood is nearly white. In boat building, the crooks of the trees (usually in the roots) are used to form natural knees and stems. The wood is moderately decay resistant, tough, moderately strong, and durable.
LARCH, WESTERN
39 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.25 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Pacific Northwest and frequently harvested and shipped, with Douglas-fir. While not a common boat building lumber, there is no reason that it cannot be used if suitable stock is selected. It resembles Douglas-fir except the heartwood is russet brown instead of pinkish or reddish.
It is strong (actually stronger than Douglas-fir), stiff, has moderate decay resistance, splits easily, and has moderately large shrinkage.
Knots are frequent but usually tight and small.
PINE, WHITE (Eastern white, Western white, ponderosa, & sugar pine)
25 to 28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.08 to 2.33 lbs. per board foot
The several types of white pine are available in most of the United States, and grow in many sections of the country.
While some types were once popular in boat building, their scarcity and the fact that only second growth stock is sometimes available makes most pine too weak and not durable for boat use. Decay resistance is moderate at best, and its use is best relegated to nonstructural interior joinerywork. These varieties are described to avoid confusion with the longleaf yellow pine type.
PINE, LONGLEAF YELLOW (Southern pine)
41 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.42 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Southern, Atlantic, and Gulf states, there are several varieties of Southern pine. However, the "longleaf" type is best for boat use.
The wood is an orange to reddish brown in color, but all species are similar and difficult to differentiate.
The dense heartwood is considered almost as decay resistant as white oak. The wood is strong, straight grained, and hard, however this can vary.
The sapwood can be easily treated to improve its decay resistance. Often substituted for white oak.
REDWOOD
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
Grown along the Northern California coast, the heartwood is light cherry to dark mahogany in color, while sapwood is nearly white or pale yellow. The heartwood is extremely decay resistant, but sapwood is not. The wood is fairly straight grained and free of defects, especially if heartwood.
It shrinks and swells little, is easy to work, but tends to be brittle and does not hold fastenings well.
The strength is moderate, it does not bend well, and has little use in plywood boat building.
SPRUCE, EASTERN (red spruce, black spruce, white spruce)
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
The three species, which are grown in the North and Northeastern states, have similar properties. The wood is light in color with little difference between sapwood and heartwood. It is easily worked, moderate in strength, stiffness, hardness, and toughness.
It is not resistant to decay, and is used only where weight is important, and durability is not, or for non-structural work.
It has little use in plywood boat building.
SPRUCE, ENGELMANN (white spruce, Arizona spruce, silver spruce, balsam, mountain spruce)
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
These varieties are described only to avoid confusion with the Sitka type of spruce. Grown mainly in the Rocky Mountain states, they are not suited
to boat use due to softness, low strength, low resistance to decay, and lack of shock resistance. The sapwood and heartwood are hard to ifferentiate, and the wood is nearly white in color. It can be used in non-structural joinerywork, however, if not subjected to moisture.
SPRUCE, SITKA
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
Grows along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. Because the trees grow tall, and the material is exceptionally strong for its weight, it is
the ideal spar building lumber, even though rot resistance is low. The wood shrinks little and is moderately strong in bending.
The heartwood is light pinkish brown and the sapwood creamy white. Where lightweight and strength are important, it is ideal.
See also the links below, those may be helpfull too, succes!!!
APITONG
44 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.67 lbs. per board foot.
Abundant in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Guinea, There are many different species, however, they look very much alike.
Sapwood is creamy yellow, gray, or reddish white, while heartwood is reddish purple or brown. The grain is usually straight.
The wood is slow to dry, does not take preservatives too well, is moderately low in decay resistance, and somewhat difficult to work.
Apitong is very hard, strong, holds fastenings very well, and is often substituted for white oak but it is not nearly as durable.
ASH, WHITE
42 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.5 lbs. per board foot.
A domestic wood grown mainly in the Eastern states. The heartwood is brown, while the sapwood is light in color or nearly white.
The wood is hard, fairly strong, straight grained, and suitable for steam bending. It can be substituted for white oak in areas that will not be continually moist. Decay resistance is low. Often used for small boat framing, oars, tillers, and joinerywork.
ELM,
ROCK
44 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.67 lbs. per board foot
A domestic wood that grows in the North Central and Northern states. It has only limited use in boat building, mainly because it is
suitable for steam bending. The wood is hard, strong, and shock resistant, which makes it suited well for small boats utilizing steam bent frames and laminated members. Decay resistance is fair at best and the wood tends to warp.
GREENHEART
61 lbs. per cubic foot, 5.08 lbs. per board foot
The wood is native to South America and the West Indies, however, it is imported mostly from Guiana.
The heartwood is extremely decay resistant and has a reputation for being highly resistant to marine borers that may not be completely deserved when used in tropical waters. The wood was once a favorite with European builders since it is stiff and very strong.
Its color varies from pale greenish-yellow to deep brownish purple, with little difference between sapwood and heartwood.
The high weight can be a considerable disadvantage in some designs. Being a very hard, dense wood, it can be more difficult to work than other hardwoods.
IROKO
40 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.33 lbs. per board foot
The tree comes from tropical Africa and is much like teak, but not as strong. The heartwood is decay resistant and somewhat resistant to marine borers. The wood is hard, but moderately easy to work. Heartwood is light to greenish yellow, but darkens to brown upon exposure to light and air. Iroko is very popular for boat building in Europe.
IRONBARK (eucalyptus)
62 lbs. per cubic foot, 5.17 lbs. per board foot
Several species of Eucalyptus called red and gray ironbark are native to Australia where they are most used. Heartwood is red to dark brown,
and sapwood is light colored. The heartwood has good decay resistance, and is resistant to some forms of marine borers.
The wood is very hard, heavy, strong, and shrinks moderately. Because of its high weight, the wood can be a major disadvantage in many types of
boats.
LIGNUMVITAE (ironwood)
76 lbs. per cubic foot, 6.33 lbs. per board foot
One of the hardest and heaviest woods known, it is found in Central America and the West Indies. The wood is naturally impregnated with
oils which makes it suitable for propeller and rudder shaft bearings (its major function) as long as shaft RPM is not too high.
Heartwood varies from olive brown or blue to dark brown or nearly black, while sapwood is cream colored.
The heartwood is very resistant to decay and abrasion. The wood is often used for keel and worm shoes, rubbing strakes, etc. It is extremely strong with regard to crushing and hardness.
MAHOGANY, AFRICAN (khaya, utile)
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.67 lbs. per board foot
Very similar to genuine mahogany, it comes from Africa. Color ranges from light pink to bright red or reddish brown, but is not as variable as mahogany. The wood is hard, strong, decay resistant, of low shrinkage, and seasons well. There are several species of so-called "African"
mahoganies, but those listed above are the most suitable for boat building.
MAHOGANY, HONDURAS (Mexican mahogany)
34 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.83 lbs. per board foot
True mahogany grows in the West Indies, Central America, the northern part of South America, and some in the southern part of Florida.
The types frequently used in boating are called Honduras and Mexican mahoganies. Color varies from deep red to reddish brown in
the heartwood, with sapwood a pale yellow. The heartwood is decay resistant, fairly strong, and seasons well, with low and uniform shrinkage.
Hardness, weight, and strength can vary depending on where the lumber is from, with the Central American variety being more variable.
MAHOGANY, PHILIPPINE (tangile, red luan, white luan, tiaong)
39 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.25 lbs. per board foot
The many varieties of so-called "Philippine mahogany" are really types of tropical cedar common to the Philippines even though they resemble true mahogany. The dark red varieties are harder, heavier, more decay resistant, and stronger than the light red varieties that are usually limited to nonstructural joinerywork. The trees yield large, clear boards, although interlocked grain can make seasoning some times difficult.
OAK, WHITE
47 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.83 lbs. per board foot
White oak is a domestic Eastern wood often used in boat building. The problem with white oak, however, is distinguishing it from red oak that is not
nearly as suitable for boat building since it is weaker and rots easily unless pressure treated with preservatives.
The following characteristics should help in separating white oak from red oak. The heartwood pores will be plugged with abundant hair-like grow ths known as tyloses, whereas red oak will contain few. The heartwood of white oak is tan or light brown, while that of red oak is reddish or pink. The pores in summer wood are very small and numerous in white oak, but with red oak they are few, large, and open.
A chemical test using benzidine-sodium nitrate turns white oak heartwood dark brown or greenish brown, but that of red oak turns light orange. White oak is excellent for steam bending but should ideally be "green" for this purpose and not seasoned. It is durable, stiff, strong, hard, holds fastenings very well, is rot resistant, but is somewhat difficult to work and requires sharp tools.
Because of the gallic acid in white oak, it reacts with plastic resin glue when submerged in salt water, and therefore this glue should not be used with white oak under these conditions.
OKOUME (gaboon)
27 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.08 lbs. per board foot.
This West African wood produces large, clear logs of uniform straight grain. The heartwood is salmon pink or pale pinkish brown resembling some types of Philippine mahogany. The sapwood is grayish. It is only fairly strong considering other woods, but strong for its weight, although low
in resistance to decay. The wood splinters easily and is best sawn with carbide tipped blades.
It has little use in plywood boat building except in smaller boats where lightweight is more important than durability.
Some imported plywood is made from this wood.
TEAK
43 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.58 lbs. per board foot
Probably the most decay resistant wood in the world, but it is not totally immune to marine borer attack. The wood grows in Burma, India, Thailand, and the East Indies. Sapwood is white to pale yellowish brown, while heartwood is a dark golden yellow that darkens with age.
The wood has a rough oily feel, is straight grained and coarse, strong, hard, of low shrinkage, and easily worked but brittle, and tends to dull tools. Very commonly used for decking, joinerywork, and frequently left unfinished, it is a very durable wood.
Glues used with this wood must be selected with care.
SOFTWOODS
CEDAR, ALASKA
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.67 lbs. per board foot
Grows along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Oregon. The heartwood is bright clear yellow, while the thin layer of sapwood, which is barely visible,
is a shade lighter. The wood has a fine uniform texture with low shrinkage, and is moderately strong. Heartwood is high in decay resistance, and works and finishes well.
CEDAR, ATLANTIC WHITE (Southern white cedar, swamp cedar, juniper)
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
The wood is soft, brittle, weak, and splits readily. However, it is low in shrinkage even though it soaks up considerable water.
Because of this and its decay resistance, the wood is frequently used for conventional planking, especially in areas where the material is grown (notably along the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf states mainly in swamps), and on boats which will. be in and out of the water frequently.
It has little use in plywood boat building.
CEDAR, NORTHERN WHITE
21 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.75 lbs. per board foot
Very similar to Atlantic white cedar, but because of small trees, its use is limited to small boat construction only, especially conventional
planking. It is grown mostly in the Northeastern United States, and has little use in plywood boat building.
CEDAR, PORT ORFORD
30 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.5 lbs. per board foot
Grown in limited areas of Northern California and Southern Oregon, it is the preferred species of boat building cedars.
Although only moderately strong, it is the strongest cedar and the heaviest before seasoning. The heartwood is light yellow to pale brown with
a distinctive spicy odor. The wood is fine and uniform in texture, moderately hard, shrinks moderately, seasons well,
and is very resistant to rot.
CEDAR, WESTERN RED
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Pacific Northwest, the wood has narrow white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood. It is rather soft and weak, shrinks very little, and the heartwood has good resistance to decay. The grain is uniform and straight although somewhat coarse and brittle.
While often used for conventional planking, it is not highly recommended for this use. However, for veneers for use in cold molded hull planking, the material is excellent.
CYPRESS, BALD (red cypress, yellow cypress, white cypress)
32 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.76 lbs. per board foot
Grown along the Southeastern coastal states of the United States, often in swamps. Heartwood near salt water varies from reddish to almost black, while the heartwood from farther inland is only slightly reddish or yellowish brown. Moderately strong, it is highly decay resistant, but soaks up a lot of moisture. Its primary use is in conventional planking, and therefore has little use in plywood boat building.
DOUGLAS-FIR (yellow fir, Oregon pine)
34 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.83 lbs. per board foot
This boat building lumber comes from the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. It is not a true fir, thus the hyphenated name.
Unseasoned green lumber is common and should be avoided. The heartwood tends to be pinkish to yellow in color, with mature growths being of
straight, uniform, and dense grained. Younger trees tend to have more knots. The wood is strong, moderately hard, moderately decay resistant in the heartwood, splits relatively easily, does not bend or steam bend readily, and is fairly easy to work.
Douglas-fir is sometimes used for making spars in place of Sitka spruce, and in these applications, the wood should be free of defects,
well seasoned, and of vertical grain for strength.
LARCH, EASTERN (hackmatack, tamarack)
30 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.5 lbs. per board foot
The species grows mainly in the Northern and Northeastern coastal states, but is related to western larch.
The heartwood is yellowish brown, while the sapwood is nearly white. In boat building, the crooks of the trees (usually in the roots) are used to form natural knees and stems. The wood is moderately decay resistant, tough, moderately strong, and durable.
LARCH, WESTERN
39 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.25 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Pacific Northwest and frequently harvested and shipped, with Douglas-fir. While not a common boat building lumber, there is no reason that it cannot be used if suitable stock is selected. It resembles Douglas-fir except the heartwood is russet brown instead of pinkish or reddish.
It is strong (actually stronger than Douglas-fir), stiff, has moderate decay resistance, splits easily, and has moderately large shrinkage.
Knots are frequent but usually tight and small.
PINE, WHITE (Eastern white, Western white, ponderosa, & sugar pine)
25 to 28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.08 to 2.33 lbs. per board foot
The several types of white pine are available in most of the United States, and grow in many sections of the country.
While some types were once popular in boat building, their scarcity and the fact that only second growth stock is sometimes available makes most pine too weak and not durable for boat use. Decay resistance is moderate at best, and its use is best relegated to nonstructural interior joinerywork. These varieties are described to avoid confusion with the longleaf yellow pine type.
PINE, LONGLEAF YELLOW (Southern pine)
41 lbs. per cubic foot, 3.42 lbs. per board foot
Grown in the Southern, Atlantic, and Gulf states, there are several varieties of Southern pine. However, the "longleaf" type is best for boat use.
The wood is an orange to reddish brown in color, but all species are similar and difficult to differentiate.
The dense heartwood is considered almost as decay resistant as white oak. The wood is strong, straight grained, and hard, however this can vary.
The sapwood can be easily treated to improve its decay resistance. Often substituted for white oak.
REDWOOD
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
Grown along the Northern California coast, the heartwood is light cherry to dark mahogany in color, while sapwood is nearly white or pale yellow. The heartwood is extremely decay resistant, but sapwood is not. The wood is fairly straight grained and free of defects, especially if heartwood.
It shrinks and swells little, is easy to work, but tends to be brittle and does not hold fastenings well.
The strength is moderate, it does not bend well, and has little use in plywood boat building.
SPRUCE, EASTERN (red spruce, black spruce, white spruce)
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
The three species, which are grown in the North and Northeastern states, have similar properties. The wood is light in color with little difference between sapwood and heartwood. It is easily worked, moderate in strength, stiffness, hardness, and toughness.
It is not resistant to decay, and is used only where weight is important, and durability is not, or for non-structural work.
It has little use in plywood boat building.
SPRUCE, ENGELMANN (white spruce, Arizona spruce, silver spruce, balsam, mountain spruce)
23 lbs. per cubic foot, 1.92 lbs. per board foot
These varieties are described only to avoid confusion with the Sitka type of spruce. Grown mainly in the Rocky Mountain states, they are not suited
to boat use due to softness, low strength, low resistance to decay, and lack of shock resistance. The sapwood and heartwood are hard to ifferentiate, and the wood is nearly white in color. It can be used in non-structural joinerywork, however, if not subjected to moisture.
SPRUCE, SITKA
28 lbs. per cubic foot, 2.33 lbs. per board foot
Grows along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. Because the trees grow tall, and the material is exceptionally strong for its weight, it is
the ideal spar building lumber, even though rot resistance is low. The wood shrinks little and is moderately strong in bending.
The heartwood is light pinkish brown and the sapwood creamy white. Where lightweight and strength are important, it is ideal.
See also the links below, those may be helpfull too, succes!!!
STAIN & VARNISH... HOW TO DO (click on pic)
RESTORATIONS/BOATWORKS
Restauration & construction bateaux ... en bois
1960 Riva Ariston
A complete and total show restoration! (click on the pic to go to the full story)
In its current condition, the boat has been stripped of the hardware, motor, interior and finish.
We rolled the boat over and removed the bottom to assess the condition of the structural members.
New bottom, hull sides and deck directly from Europe and were shipped in a large container.
The original engine has been completely and professionally restored.
A complete and total show restoration! (click on the pic to go to the full story)
In its current condition, the boat has been stripped of the hardware, motor, interior and finish.
We rolled the boat over and removed the bottom to assess the condition of the structural members.
New bottom, hull sides and deck directly from Europe and were shipped in a large container.
The original engine has been completely and professionally restored.
Restorations by Phil Mitchell.
Ramsey Brothers Restorations
BUILD YOUR OWN BOAT/BOATPLANS
