Wood for dinghy rubbing strip and west of Scotland supplier

[Tam Lin]

I used iroko and made a steamer out of a wallpaper stripper steamer and a piece of down pipe. Worked ok.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

JD, I’ve got some good lengths of t&g mahogany flooring you can have. Just needs planed to size. I used it to make new gunwales for my 6’ prom dinghy using the hot wet towel method.

yeah, I know its a predictive text thing but....

You know you are a boatie when you go to the high school prom in a dinghy.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Wee update ...

I found an 8" length of 1/4" teak strip in my workshop, and experimented with bending that round the dinghy gunwale. Not a chance. It took enormous effort and didn't stay in touch round the sharpest curve. It could be clamped up and glued/screwed, of course, but that would build in horrible stresses, just where the original mahogany rubbing strip has broken in two or three places (screw holes!) on each side.

It will therefore need to be either (a) something a lot more flexible than 1/4" teak or (b) steam. I am going to investigate the Flexiteek option - anyone have experience of how bendy (minimum practical radius) their 40mm x 20mm "Nosing section" is? If that's ruled out by cost or rigidity, I'll have to make a steamer, I think.

On the bright side, I had the dinghy soda blasted inside and out today, so all the manky paint is gone and she's ready for the new stuff.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I used Iroko when I did the toe-rail of the big boat. Scantlings were around 55x18 one part vertical and one flat on top. The vertical one also had to conform to the curve in the sheer while the top one needed to follow the deckline, 'bent on the flat'. Both were done without any steaming. You do need a lot of cramps though; I was using around sixteen, walking them along as work progressed.
On the tender, 205cms long, I used two layers of 6mm ply, inside and out, laminated in situ with recorcinol glue. However, the ply is protected by a rope fender that goes all round. I built the tender in GRP (pseudo clinker) but I wanted the 'sheer strake' covered with varnished wood.
Whichever solution you choose, both are good and easily doable... given sufficient clamps.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I used Iroko when I did the toe-rail of the big boat. Scantlings were around 55x18 one part vertical and one flat on top. The vertical one also had to conform to the curve in the sheer while the top one needed to follow the deckline, 'bent on the flat'. Both were done without any steaming. You do need a lot of cramps though; I was using around sixteen, walking them along as work progressed.
On the tender, 205cms long, I used two layers of 6mm ply, inside and out, laminated in situ with recorcinol glue. However, the ply is protected by a rope fender that goes all round. I built the tender in GRP (pseudo clinker) but I wanted the 'sheer strake' covered with varnished wood.
Whichever solution you choose, both are good and easily doable... given sufficient clamps.

Thanks - that looks lovely. Mine too will have a rope round it, but as it's a 10' dinghy the curvature is much larger (ie smaller radius) than on a yacht. I don't think there is any chance I could bend 18mm iroko round it, I I expect the outer layer of ply would break in tension.

You'll be relieved to know that I have many cramps available ... I own about ten myself, and there is a wall rack full of them at the local Men's Shed, where I'll be doing the woodwork. Or maybe synthetifakiplastiwood work ...