What kind of wood should I use?

[Gitane]

I have a small sailboat made in the early 70s. It has wooden washboards which slide into groves in varnished wood pieces bolted to the companion way.

One of the wooden pieces is now completely rotten. It does not look to difficult to make a replacement, but what kind of wood should I use?

Would ordinary pine you by in the DIY store be OK, or do I need to use something more exotic?

Gitane

 

[lustyd]

I have a small sailboat made in the early 70s. It has wooden washboards which slide into groves in varnished wood pieces bolted to the companion way.

One of the wooden pieces is now completely rotten. It does not look to difficult to make a replacement, but what kind of wood should I use?

Would ordinary pine you by in the DIY store be OK, or do I need to use something more exotic?

Gitane

I put pine on mine for the same use temporarily a few weeks ago. It looks terrible and will probably rot by xmas. Use Teak, there's a reason it's the traditional wood used on boats and it's not really any more expensive than the next best thing when you consider how much longer it will last.

Edit to add the Pine is temporary waiting for my shiny new teak to arrive which cost £30 from Robbins timber

 

[sailingjeff]

Hi
I replaced the ply one on my boat with Iroko. Its much cheaper than teak and has similar qualities. It just goes a browned colour in the sun

Regards

jeff

 

[doug748]

If you are still in the boatyard it is often surprising what bits and pieces you find lying about. I am not suggesting you find something before it is lost but a lot of offcuts and stuff are simply burnt over the summer months. Have a word with the staff perhaps. Any varnished brown wood could do the job and it would not be the end of the world if you needed an update a few years down the line.

I agree with lustyd the pine stuff on general release is not very durable. As sailingjeff has said, Iroko would be fine. Architectural salvage yards are a prime source.

PS

Keep your eyes peeled for any broken brown furniture - you could win yourself a set of Brazilian Mahogany washboards for just a few quid.

 

[sailorman]

I have a small sailboat made in the early 70s. It has wooden washboards which slide into groves in varnished wood pieces bolted to the companion way.

One of the wooden pieces is now completely rotten. It does not look to difficult to make a replacement, but what kind of wood should I use?

Would ordinary pine you by in the DIY store be OK, or do I need to use something more exotic?

Gitane

What is there now
can you post a pic if your not sure. I have a stock of teak

 

[shan]

Sapele is another good option.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Why not use ply? Either external grade, well varnished or marine grade if you can afford it.

 

[C08]

I agree with other posts that softwood will not last the season. A cheap source of hardwood is old junk furniture or even old exterior doors that were often mahogany and would have many good sized pieces to cut and plane up.

 

[C08]

Why not use ply? Either external grade, well varnished or marine grade if you can afford it.

From my experience exterior ply is mostly rubbish and starts to delaminate very quickly.

 

[lustyd]

Why not use ply? Either external grade, well varnished or marine grade if you can afford it.

I'm not sure ply would be appropriate for this purpose, the OP seemed to be talking about the bits of wood which hold the washboards in - these are far better in solid wood. Ply is designed for large surfaces such as the washboards themselves.

 

[timmygobang]

I spoke to Howells about getting 2 solid pieces of teak, and was told I would need to join multiple boards (four boards) together to create the height I wanted.

I dont wish to start a new thread of hijack this one, but thought it was worth mentioning,

ps If someone knows where I can get get two solid pieces I'd be interested to know (56cm x 37cm and 47cm x 29cm) it may also be helpful for the OP. Cheers

 

[pmagowan]

I spoke to Howells about getting 2 solid pieces of teak, and was told I would need to join multiple boards (four boards) together to create the height I wanted.

I dont wish to start a new thread of hijack this one, but thought it was worth mentioning,

ps If someone knows where I can get get two solid pieces I'd be interested to know (56cm x 37cm and 47cm x 29cm) it may also be helpful for the OP. Cheers

I don't think you will get solid pieces of that size easily or if you do at any reasonable cost they will warp due to having been cut right through the pith (even in teak). To get solid board of that size without cutting through the pith the tree would have to be large and the cost of cutting it in this way would be excessive. It is normal to make up panels of this size from multiple boards and the joins are so good that you wouldn't notice them. They can be doweled, biscuited or dominoed to form a very strong panel. Alternatively you can use engineered timber with a thick veneer and good finish to make the illusion of one solid panel. I think your best bet for getting a single large panel of hardwood is to go to auctions for brown furniture which now sells at less than the value of the timber. Trees were bigger in the old days and so you might get a 37cm board ok.

 

[timmygobang]

I don't think you will get solid pieces of that size easily or if you do at any reasonable cost they will warp due to having been cut right through the pith (even in teak). To get solid board of that size without cutting through the pith the tree would have to be large and the cost of cutting it in this way would be excessive. It is normal to make up panels of this size from multiple boards and the joins are so good that you wouldn't notice them. They can be doweled, biscuited or dominoed to form a very strong panel. Alternatively you can use engineered timber with a thick veneer and good finish to make the illusion of one solid panel. I think your best bet for getting a single large panel of hardwood is to go to auctions for brown furniture which now sells at less than the value of the timber. Trees were bigger in the old days and so you might get a 37cm board ok.

Many thanks that's really helpful!! I want something very strong so would prefer solid teak than veneered plywood. So will join them together as you suggested (I didn't think about warping).

 

[sailorman]

I spoke to Howells about getting 2 solid pieces of teak, and was told I would need to join multiple boards (four boards) together to create the height I wanted.

I dont wish to start a new thread of hijack this one, but thought it was worth mentioning,

ps If someone knows where I can get get two solid pieces I'd be interested to know (56cm x 37cm and 47cm x 29cm) it may also be helpful for the OP. Cheers

Those dim will need jointing-up
how thick do you need them & which way does the grain run
see #5

 

[Tranona]

Many thanks that's really helpful!! I want something very strong so would prefer solid teak than veneered plywood. So will join them together as you suggested (I didn't think about warping).

Good quality ply is far superior in terms of both strength and stability than solid wood in this application. Simplist way is to cut to size and seal the edges with epoxy then coating of your choice. Alternative is to cap edges with solid timber. If you have plenty of time on your hands you can construct frames with ply insert panels to look better, but will not be any better functionally than plain ply.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Sorry misread the question. I thought he meant washboards.

 

[pmagowan]

Many thanks that's really helpful!! I want something very strong so would prefer solid teak than veneered plywood. So will join them together as you suggested (I didn't think about warping).

Thats OK but as Tranona says good quality ply is very structurally strong and has great properties in terms of stability. The problems occur where it is not properly protected from moisture. This should be minimised in good quality marine grade stuff although it tends to be hard to find. Teak has very good properties also but it will expand and contract more than ply in my experience. I have a large teak panel as part of a worktop in the galley and it has expanded about 2mm, enough to prevent the hatch next to it from closing. It is about 60cm wide though with the grain running parallel to the hatch thus putting it in the area of greatest expansion. I will simply sand a bit off. For washboards (if that is what you need) you dont need to worry too much about expansion as you would seal the wood with your finish and you would expect to leave a small clearance anyway. If you are fixing the panels in place then you maybe need to consider expansion and the forces it can put on joints etc. You should take into account the small amount of movement and where the force will be applied. The glue WILL be stronger than the wood but the wood often fails right along the glue line. It is not uncommon when fixing a panel in place to do so in such a way that there is room for movement. Look at tables and worktops and they are normally held in place by a notch and small block of wood rather than directly screwed to the substrate.

 

[TQA]

Hey guys I don't think it is the washboards that are rotten it is the side slide batten.

Try a diy store and look at their hardwood. I guess at about 2"x1" by 8' it should not break the bank

I would do a proper job and replace both sides so they match.

 

[oldvarnish]

Hi
I replaced the ply one on my boat with Iroko. Its much cheaper than teak and has similar qualities.

I've just done the same, on the advice of Robbins Timber. Teak is eye-wateringly expensive at the moment.

 

[lustyd]

I've just done the same, on the advice of Robbins Timber. Teak is eye-wateringly expensive at the moment.

Was £30 for the two on my boat. Perhaps I'm overpaid, but then since the OP has wood rotting on the existing installation which is cheaper in the long run? I prefer not to do anything the next owner will curse me for if I can help it