selangan batu?

[jim99]

Hi, I am now in Malaysia, island of Langkawi.

Want to make a hardwood base, basically a piece of wood to sit under a new windlass on a teak deck.

Have only been able to find one hardwood sold on the island, Selangan Batu, which a man in the yard told me has a variety of other names, but none did I recognise. Googling tells me it is used in boat building.

I wonder if anyone has experience with this wood, its suitability for what I would use it for, or if I should go off to the mainland to find teak or another suitable wood.

cheers and thanks

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

If it is really used in boatbuilding, why do you not trace some local boats, e.g. fishing or other workboats, see what it is used for and then decide yourself as to suitability?

For example, the wood of the carob tree was traditionally used here for making the crook that joins the stem post to the keel; also for other hooks and knees. It was readily available, it was suitable, so it was used. I have never seen any reference to its use on boats anywhere else. However, local knowledge and experience have shown that it is eminently suitable for the job. Personally, if not laminating, I would now use it in preference to oak.

 

[bryantee]

i simpathise. trying to find out what iroko is called in southern india.
teak under 3 different names is available.malaysian(which i suspect is iroko) burmese which is the most expensive and indian teak which is plantation grown. some of the hard woods have exotic ,but local names.suggest you go to local fishing harbour and ask what they bolt the engines to.
if not 18mm marine ply well dowsed in epoxy will give you a few years

 

[jim99]

One page I found told me it is popular to frame boats in the UK which is why I asked the question here.

Every boat I have been in Malaysia has either been glass or aluminium /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif All wood boats, at least here, seem to be of a style made in Thailand. Selangan Batu, if used in Thailand, will have another name again.

 

[dukes4monny]

I found this article which suggests it's used for boat building

 

[KellysEye]

It is heavy hardwood, very durable and used for the following:

Heavy construction, bridges, wharves, piling, transmission post, beam, framework of boat, framework of carriages, wagons, lorry and truck bodywork, door and window frames, heavy-duty flooring and furniture.

It should be fine.

 

[LORDNELSON]

My choice would be Chengal (sometimes called penak in Malaya) Latin name Neobalanocarpus heimii. When I worked on construction in Malaya we used it for applications like drainage gates, shutter piling etc. See MTC wood wizard (woodwizard@mtc.com.my). The forest department used to be very good and helpful.