BIRCH OR BASSWOOD FOR DECKSKIN

[mark couty]

Hello all I am trying to figure out which wood to use for the outer skin of my hydro. I went to BALSA WOOD INC website and they have birch and basswood sheeting in 1/16. Which type of wood do I need to skin my 1/8 scale hydro with ? Thanks, Mark.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

DEFINATELY BIRCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's one of mine with a birch deck

 

[mark couty]

DEFINATELY BIRCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's one of mine with a birch deck

HJ where do you purchase your wood from. My local hobby dealer wants to charge me $30 a sheet for 12 X 48 X 1/16.

 

[P THOMAS]

DEFINATELY BIRCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's one of mine with a birch deck

HJ where do you purchase your wood from. My local hobby dealer wants to charge me $30 a sheet for 12 X 48 X 1/16.

Nat. Balsa is good they have a minimum order of $25

http://www.nationalbalsa.com/birch_plywood_s/58.htm

1/16 x 12 x 48 birch ply

1/16 birch ply is 3 ply

Our Price: $8.65

 

[Dasboatman]

" Which type of wood do I need to skin my 1/8 scale hydro with ? Thanks, Mark"

Hey Mark,

The reason we use birch plywood is "STRENGTH". Basswood is very soft and has little lateral strength. It will tear very easily with the grain. 3 ply birch ply provide structural strength because it is basically laminated using three layers if you will. It won't tear. Years ago I built a 7505 U-5 Lauterbach Special. The real boat had a natural finished mahogany deck. We used a 1/16th Mahogany and clear coated with clear - Probably K&B Superpoxy. Absolutely beautiful, but tore the first couple of runs for it too had no lateral strength.

This is WHY HJ and Phil are recommending Birch Ply. CHEERS !!! Bob

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I get mine in 61" squares from B&D International in Tacoma WA for around $60 per sheet. It work out to about 4.5 or the standard 12X48 sheets. If you want to do a T-boat, it's large enough to do one without splicing B)

 

[mark couty]

Thanks for the insight guys. Mark

 

[Chris Wood]

you won't find it much cheaper or better than this place

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/wp/plywood.html

great to deal with to

chris

 

[Kez]

I have started experimenting with 1/16" Occume marine ply. Compared to birch, the Occume ply is lighter and more flexible making it ideal for sheeting compound curve like the deck.

The Occume looks very nice when cleared and it is less expensive than birch.

I glass the entire hull with light cloth. A sport 40 hull built with the marine ply weighs the same or slightly less than one built with birch.

Not trying to convince anyone that this is the way to go. Merely sharing my experience with an alternative material.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Are you so sure about that Kez? How is this for flexible, this is one of the sheets of 1/16th ply I get from B&D, the diameter of this rolled up sheet is less than 12". I am curious, why add the extra weight of the glass when it's not normally needed? In almost 30 years I've never needed to glass a hull.

 

[Kez]

Are you so sure about that Kez? How is this for flexible, this is one of the sheets of 1/16th ply I get from B&D, the diameter of this rolled up sheet is less than 12". I am curious, why add the extra weight of the glass when it's not normally needed? In almost 30 years I've never needed to glass a hull.

HJ,

According to Mark's Standard handbook for mechanical engineers, Occume (Okoume) ply has a density of 27 lb/ft^3. Birch is about 44 lb/ft^3. In terms of tensile strength Occume is very strong. I did not even know it was used as a material for ultralight aircraft until I came across this:

http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/wood-construction/42-okume-plywood.html

I bought mine in 4X8 sheets and I have cut them into 2X4 sections. I do not want to roll it in a tube to demonstrate the flexibility but I know it is a lot more flexible than birch. To build a boat that is both light and strong, I believe we need to select the right material for its intended purpose. For riding surfaces where I want rigidity, I would use birch. For sheeting curved surfaces, I choose occume.

I built my first boat in 1970 and have tried different materials and building techniques over the years. Like I said in the post, I am not saying my approach is better than anyone else's. I am just sharing my experience on a different material.

I have found that glassing the hull would greatly increase the longevity of the boat while adding little weight. The last sport 40 that I built, I used the 4 oz E-poxy for constuction. I have 30% left when I was all done and that included glassing the hull.

kez