Cheap timber supplier?

[lydfordcastle]

Just got my outboard off for a service and found that the support transom is rotten so has to be replaced before the engine can go back on the boat. Trouble is I'm being quoted what I think are ridiculously high prices for a piece of hardwood 735 mm x 223 mm x 51 mm. Ideally I'd like a piece of Ash or Kerouing or something with a high natural oil content but as I'm now getting desperate I'd settle for any good strong hardwood that will soak up a good dose of Sadolin. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can buy such a lump of timber at a reasonable price?

[MikeV]

A good timber merchant? Our local has an offcuts box which contains individually priced short planks of hardwood for rarely more than a few quid.

[Peter Reed]

There are double glazing companies that use hardwood frames, if there is one in your area, you might be able to scavenge some scraps from their waste. With permission of course.

[EmmaB]

Just got my outboard off for a service and found that the support transom is rotten so has to be replaced before the engine can go back on the boat. Trouble is I'm being quoted what I think are ridiculously high prices for a piece of hardwood 735 mm x 223 mm x 51 mm. Ideally I'd like a piece of Ash or Kerouing or something with a high natural oil content but as I'm now getting desperate I'd settle for any good strong hardwood that will soak up a good dose of Sadolin. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can buy such a lump of timber at a reasonable price?

A piece of green oak. Around £20.

http://www.uk-oak.co.uk/custom-oak-beams

For instance, though I'd go to a local timber yard.

[smileypete]

Some timber yards may do treated 225x47ish:

 

http://www.championtimber.com/Timber/treated-timber/47-x-225mm-sawn-dry-graded-to-c16-treated

 

Make sure it's properly coated, even better give the ends a good dunk in 'end cut' treatment too.

 

I've had some random lengths of treated decking out in the garden in all weathers for about 5-8 years with no added protection and they're doing pretty well considering.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[furnessvale]

Some timber yards may do treated 225x47ish:

 

http://www.championtimber.com/Timber/treated-timber/47-x-225mm-sawn-dry-graded-to-c16-treated

 

Make sure it's properly coated, even better give the ends a good dunk in 'end cut' treatment too.

 

I've had some random lengths of treated decking out in the garden in all weathers for about 5-8 years with no added protection and they're doing pretty well considering.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

I would urge caution about using pretreated timber if the intention is to paint it.

 

I find it the devils own job to get paint to adhere to some treatments and I would rather use untreated timber and trust to my own applications of primer etc.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Teadaemon]

Green oak isn't suitable, as the moisture content is too high for epoxy to stick to it (assuming it's a GRP boat and the wood needs to be bonded in to the boat's structure).

 

If I were specifying a repair, I'd probably suggest Iroko. Ash certainly doesn't have enough rot resistance, and looking up Keruing shows that it's listed as being only 'moderately durable'. Another alternative might be to laminate a bearer from 12 or 18mm marine ply (done properly, this could be done in such as way that there was no exposed end grain). I suspect you'd need half a sheet, as I think it's a little too large to get all the pieces out of a quarter sheet, unfortunately.

 

Worth taking some care over a repair like this, that piece of wood is the only thing preventing the engine from dropping off into the cut, and all of the forces produced by the engine are transferred to the rest of the boat by it.

[smileypete]

I would urge caution about using pretreated timber if the intention is to paint it.

 

I find it the devils own job to get paint to adhere to some treatments and I would rather use untreated timber and trust to my own applications of primer etc.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

I've had no problems with Sikkens on the aforementioned decking, though it looks like some treatments particularly for decking include a wax component for water repellency, the timber yard should know what's used.

 

Wood that is treated to 'UC4' should be most durable as it's designed for 'ground contact', though it usually only comes in fence post sizes, sometimes in other sizes too:

 

http://www.championtimber.com/discounted/44-x-94mm-treated-green-uc4-planed-amp-chamfered-4-edges-landscapers-joinery-fsc-mix-70

 

If the OP lives near a fencing supplier who will treat custom jobs for a reasonable fee, how about sourcing a nice clear bit of redwood then after cutting and drilling, see if they can leave it in their vat for a long while

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[Neil2]

Robbins Timber supply all manner of hardwoods - about £27 for a metre length of ash 50x225.

[Captain Fizz]

New Creation farm on the Grand Union at Nether Heyford. They will cut and machine to any size and supply small amounts . They could supply iroko with would be very resistant to rot and durable.

[George94]

Inflatables tend to be supplied with marine-ply transoms rather than ordinary wood. That is what I would use.

 

Alternatively, use thinner, narrower, pieces and laminate/scarf them together using 2 part epoxy.