Sourcing ply for DIY dinghy build

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pcatterall

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I have gone mad and been talked into helping build a sailing/rowing/paddling wooden canoe/dinghy !!

The requirement is for 1x 6mm sheet and 3x4mm sheets of ply. I have used exterior ply from our builders yard for the 'sub deck' on my Colvic Atlanta and this seemed to work fine but should I be looking for something 'better' for this new venture?

I will appreciate your advice on the sheets to look for and possible sources.

many thanks.
 
Most Mirror dinghies that I know of were made from exterior ply then epoxied. Seemed to work well with no problems.

Marine ply is quite expensive and not really much better.
 
It depends on how you want to feel about it, how long you want it to last with ultimate confidence, how long before you replace it with something more intricate and just how tight the pattern is.
So, a lot of depends there, last one first:
If there are tight, as in you almost have to steam bend it tight twists then you will need expensive marine ply (or steam bend it)
3 skinny sheets and one quite thin implies a small, fun, move onto something bigger boat. So think carefully about howmuch time you want to invest in a first bash. You will be learning techniques on this one and it probably will have room for improvement. Do you want to get it in the water soon a possible or will it be a never ready exquisite project?

SAMYL, you sure Mirrors were epoxied? polyester would do just fine on them.
 
I'm no expert in these matters, but pass on the following thoughts -

I seem to recall a conversation with someone had built their own dinghy (or was it a canoe?) from non-marine ply, who came to regret having ended up with something with a short life for what in retrospect, after having put in all that time and effort, didn't seem to be such a significant cost saving after all.

It seems to be the general opinion on here that the quality of generally available ply has deteriorated over the years. (This perhaps goes some way to explain the sharp difference in price between DIY store exterior ply and pukka marine ply.)

I've had good service, including helpful advice, from Robbins Timber. (No connection other than satisfied occasional customer.)
 
Years ago exterior ply was a great deal better than you can get now. Unless you want the dinghy to be a very short term job I'd use marine ply from Robbins. Their delivery charges are reasonable if you cannot get to them. Also, if you're going to use epoxy at all this is a considerable expense, it would be a shame to have really sound expensive seams if the plywood falls apart!
 
Polyester resin in not a good glue, but that didn't stop the early Mirrors taped seams lasting for years.
I found good marin occume ply around here and then bought in some from UK at a far lower price. Used marineplyonline near Bristol. But I can't find their website now. 10mm ar something like £40/sheet.
Where ever I buy it, I put a bit in the dishwasher for a few cycles.

If in doubt, use Robbins, but pricey.

Have you chosen the design yet?

Here is what I built: https://shop.classicmarine.co.uk/little-whilly-tern-building-plans.html
About six months of spare time inc sails, fittings and trailer.
If you want to DIY the sails, The Sailmakers Apprentice is excellent and cheap off Amazon .
 
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Thanks all for the good advice. Interesting to hear that exterior ply is not as good as it used to be, thinking back there was a time when the 'new glues' used in exterior plys made them almost as good as marine ply ( 1970s?) have they cheapened the product since then?
 
Some of the Robbins ply is very expensive as is delivery. Talk to them and ask about ply that has a less high quality surface, ie OK for painting rather than varnishing
 
I used marine ply from my local good quality builders merchant (Ridgeons in Cambridge, with branches all over East Anglia). The ply had the appropriate BS markings and it was fine on cutting and so on - no voids, and bits of it have lasted well when left exposed to the weather! It wasn't much more than WBP ply from the same dealer. The only down-side compared with a supplier like Robbins of Bruynzeel is that the facing plies are not decorative; they are a plain white wood with little grain pattern. They are obviously hardwood, though, but not mahogany or whatever.

I totally agree that while Robbins might supply really high quality material, their prices are totally unrealistic if the decorative properties of the material are unimportant. Their delivery charges are in silly money territory, too!

As I said, I bought from a builders merchant with a reputation to defend, and if I had encountered problems with what they supplied, I'd have expected them to be on my side. That seems to be the critical point when buying marine ply from non-marine suppliers - reputable firms will make sure they source their ply from good suppliers; less reputable firms get whatever is cheapest (which may not be what it claims to be).
 
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