marine ply

[gary3029]

like everything in life there is marine ply and there is marine ply. Given I am building a lifting keel box...a critical part of the boat!! which is the best marine ply for this job. I am based in poole, anyone got any recommendations for suppliers?
Thanks

 

[Guest]

Robins Timber Bristol

http://www.robbins.co.uk/index.htm

 

[rjp]

Be very wary of what you get. I had a very bad experience with ply bought from the aforementioned a few years ago some of which turned out to be absolute rubbish. While the material itself was replaced under the 15 year guarantee that didn't compensate for all the time and labour which I had already put in when the defects were found.

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
Be very wary of what you get. I had a very bad experience with ply bought from the aforementioned a few years ago some of which turned out to be absolute rubbish. While the material itself was replaced under the 15 year guarantee that didn't compensate for all the time and labour which I had already put in when the defects were found.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you will find that they supply very good materials these days, I have never had a problem with anything they have supplied to me. Also, unlike a lot of suppliers, they don't operate a minimum order policy, no they are not the cheapest, but coupled with the above, and their reliability, I wouldn't worry overduly. They also understand how the materials they sell are used, and that in itself is a big bonus. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

One complaint doesn't make a bad company.

 

[Roach1948]

I have been using fair amounts of their stuff for the interior. Their basic marine ply is made in Israel (big stamp on it)- normally I am apolitical - but as Beirut is my favourite city in the whole of the Med I was quite peeved by that, specially as I ordered (unawares) it during the war.

-- I should say, apart from that it is good stuff!

 

[Poignard]

I have used Robbins Super-Elite marine ply and been very happy with it's quality, but the main problem has been getting a sheet that hadn't been damaged by the carrier. Robbins replaced the damaged sheets but the replacements were also damaged by the carrier. They don't seem to pack it well enough to withstand attacks by delivery drivers. Puny corner pieces, cardboard sheets and polythene sheet are not adequate protection.

 

[santeana]

I get my marine ply from KJHowells in Poole. Personal service from the owner; help and advice freely given; only stocks top quality products; picking up on Twisterowner's point, their panels are securely packed between hardboard sheets. Found them considerably cheaper than Robins and infinitely more helpful and friendly.

 

[Captain Coochie]

I looked into marine ply a few years ago and found about 5 differant grades . BS1088 (the normal marine ply stocked at timber yards)was at the bottom and Anchor marine was at the top . This info is from ringing around my suppliers and talking to boat builders so make of it what you want .

 

[pelicanpete]

Marine ply rots just like normal ply. It's only the waterproof glue used in the manufacture that makes it 'marine-grade'. However, there is a grade of marine ply where the wood has been pressure-treated before assembly, which gives it a much longer life in wet conditions. (If it's being used in dry conditions, of course this doesn't apply). I have used this material for the roof of my house in the tropics, where we also have termites to contend with. I have no idea where to by it in the UK but it might be worth asking the question or Googling for it.

 

[oldharry]

[ QUOTE ]
Marine ply rots just like normal ply. It's only the waterproof glue used in the manufacture that makes it 'marine-grade'.

[/ QUOTE ]

Errr not quite: - "marine ply rots just like ... any wood" if its not properly protected. Alternating end grains in the sheets make it more prone to water penetration than solid timber. so unless great care is taken to seal the board edges, rot spreads more quickly.

"Normal" ply is not the same as Marine, in that the internal laminates are often thicker than the surface veneers and are invariably softwood, with very little rot resistance. "WBP" grade plys almost always have thicker softwood internal laminates. Internal voids where the laminates join within a board may be quite large, causing serious weakening, and there is no control over this except caveat emptor.

Marine ply to BS 1088 should have (note "should"!) have all laminates of equal thickness, internal voids of a specified maximum width, and all laminates should be hardwood. There are minimum requirements for the gluing also.

The variation in marine plys is generally to do with the grade and species of wood used, and quality control in manufacture, which means some "BS1088" marked boards, particularly from the far east are rubbish.