I've been watching some videos and looking at plans, I haven't found quite what I'm looking for. I may just make a scale model of what I want and wing it. I'm kind of a design it in my head and start building sort of woodworker anyway.
Boat building
- Thread starter SENC
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To your boat, Henry.
And to Dave’s launching.
And to Dave’s launching.
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- #343
Slainte!
This is probably not the best forum to ask this question; however, it is the friendliest. My ultimate boat build would be traditional build with lumber harvested and milled by me. I've got plenty of white ash for framing, although not as highly regarded as some others it's good enough for me and I've got cherry to substitute for mahogany for a few fancy touches. Planking is my problem, If I look long and hard I might be able to purchase enough cedar logs that are good enough but even then, it will probably require a lot of knot plugging and scarfing. This brings me to my question, how about tamarack? After quite a few web searches I don't have a good answer. The advantage for me is that I could quite easily harvest a dozen 18' butt logs which would be at least 5 times the quantity I would need for a 16' skiff. None of it would be knot free but tamarack tends to have good sound red knots that should not need plugging, it's mostly warping and cracking that concerns me. I've used a lot of it for various projects over the years with pretty good results, but boat building is a little different than a porch floor.
My research says it is a very favorable wood for boat planking. And even some folks recommend it for the ribs.
That's kinda what I found, but it's easy to find nay sayers . I probably won't use it for framing because it tends to crack around the fasteners over time, I don't think it would bother much if the planks are pre drilled. I went tree scouting this morning and found 3 trees growing tight together that should have some nearly clear boards. I'm going to try to harvest some later this summer after the pitch stops flowing. I tried milling some in the spring once and it was a bad idea, even with a full stream of pinesol and water the blade loaded with pitch.
Sorry Dave, I'm not much help in the boat construction world. But what about weight? Is tamarack significantly heavier than cedar?
The other thing I would think about is shrinkage (over time) that would make keeping joints tight a problem. But again I don't know which woods would be better or worse in that regard. In the old days I suppose resistance to rot and worms was a factor in the selection of wood but that shouldn't be a problem in your boat. A neighbor up the hill built a wooden kayak that is a gorgeous piece of work and I think he used all cedar strips.
The other thing I would think about is shrinkage (over time) that would make keeping joints tight a problem. But again I don't know which woods would be better or worse in that regard. In the old days I suppose resistance to rot and worms was a factor in the selection of wood but that shouldn't be a problem in your boat. A neighbor up the hill built a wooden kayak that is a gorgeous piece of work and I think he used all cedar strips.
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Tamarack is quite heavy, I don't look at weight as a big factor because it will either be in the water or on a trailer. Cedar strip makes a beautiful light weight boat but they are built with fiberglass and epoxy. I want to use only lumber, paint, caulking, and copper fasteners.
I had searched that forum before and not found that thread, thanks for sharing it. I guess unless some cedar somehow comes my way it will be tamarack. The nice thing is that it's almost not worth cutting to sell to a mill, the price of the logs barely covers harvest and trucking costs.
This would make it more useful than just standing there looking tall... Does your mill lubricate with water or petroleum product? The consensus is the larch will gum you up quickly. Also why it's so rot resistant.
I actually searched for antique larch boats. I figured if it was really used for boatbuilding, it would show up in a few antique boats. It did.
The mill uses water, it's almost impossible to mill tamarack this time of year because the pitch is flowing. I've never had a issue milling it later in the summer. I've used a lot of it for various projects over the years and never had an issue working dry lumber. My plan is to mill my logs before winter into larger timbers and let it season that way until spring, then resaw it to the demensions that I need.
You both building this together making me really miss going out in a boat. My father-in-law during the spring and summer would take the boat out at Port Jefferson and out to the Long Island sound. When I moved to Charleston, SC we did the same thing, but from downtown Charleston out to the Ashley River. My families first place in Charleston we were right across the Ashley River in downtown Charleston. My in-laws sold their house in Long Island and moved to Charleston and their house flanked the Ashley River which is perfect for riding your boat and fishing. But now I am back in the city and no boat riding in sight- well I can get into a paddle boat in Central Park 
, but nothing beats going out into The Long Island Sound.
, but nothing beats going out into The Long Island Sound.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #357
Thanks. I was a bit intimidated abou5 sheathing and coating such a big area - but as soon as I got started I realized it wouldn't be badLooking great, sheathing with large sheets of fiberglass was the most satisfying part of the fiberglass work for me. Not that I found any of it particularly enjoyable
It went better for me after I got a handle on how much epoxy to mix for the job. I tried to keep some small jobs on the back burner to use up any surplus epoxy. I wasted very little on the whole project.
Not to add fuel to the fire, but I think the best selection is what you have. A little research reveals that it is much like the question - what sauce you want to eat on the type of bbq meat you want to eat or what color is the best. Or what is best wood to smoke bbq with. Lots of myths and crap spouted by......err.... I'll be nice. Never use softwoods - well what do you think they use in Scandanavia and other countries that don't have much hardwood?
Noah - Gopher wood
Mesopatamia - Reeds
Egyptians - Cedar of Lebanon and acacia
Vikings - Oak largley
Britain when it was conquering the world - Oak, Elm, Scots Pine
One I really like - Hawaii - Koa
Other Pacific Islands - Breadfruit, Coconut Palm, Eucalyptus
Australia - Eucalyptus, Hoop Pine, Jarrah, Tasmanian Blackwood, Tasmanian Oak, Paulowania
Eskimos - sealskin and driftwood (usually spruce)
Vietnam - Luan, Teak, and others including Rosewood and Ebony
Brazil - Ipe, Cumaru and others.
Indonesia - Ironwood, Bangkiria, Teak
Among others
Oak, Pine, Fir, Larch, Mahogany, Sapele, Cedar, Spruce, cypress, redwood
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #360
I think I'm doing ok on epoxy... finished my first gallon of resin today finishing the sheathing. So that gallon got me through bulkheads, transoms, plus a saturation coat and initial sheathing. I need to put a fill-coat on the glass, then a seal coat or two after fairing. I'm guessing that will take a little less than half a gallon of resi , leaving me a bit more than 1.5 gallons for the inside and deck. So, I'm thinking I'm close to schedule and not overdoing the epoxy or wasting much.
Next up, fill coat. Then keel, runners, and sheer clamps before fairing and final seal coats.