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what wood would to use in a bilge area.


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5 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

How about a bit of recycled plastic gravel board. won't rot and should accept screws well enough.

 

Yes I was thinking about plastic decking. It comes in a wood grain effect. It's very heavy and won't rot. It's expensive though so perhaps you could get some offcuts if you don't need much?

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3 hours ago, dmr said:

 

"mahogany on oak" was quite a common construction, including sailing boats 😀.

 

Back at the dawn of time my first liveaboard was a gorgeous converted naval pinnace - double diagonal teak on oak ribs. The oak ribs were mostly Weetabix or completely missing, but some of the teak was still ok. 

 

I sold the boat for £5 when we got evicted from our scruffy moorings in Eton. Shame to no longer have a nice view of Windsor Castle in the morning from the side doors though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 08/03/2023 at 15:16, Tony Brooks said:

I would say oak but have a feeling it rots badly in fresh water, I will let the carpenters confirm or deny that.

Also attacks mild steel. 

I believe. 

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15 hours ago, DHutch said:

Also attacks mild steel. 

I believe. 

 

True, but in reality, persistant contact between almost every type of timber and any ferrous metal in a wet or damp environment will cause some oxidization of the metal and some degredation of the timber. The ozidization is casused by water reacting with tannic acid, which is present in almost all plant life, but in higher concentration in some timbers, including Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Red Alder, Sweet Chestnut, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas Fir. Apparently, bronze is one of the metals not significantly effected by tannic acid, and a person I know, who works on the restoration of old boats and ships, only uses bronze screws and nails for all underwater fixings, It may well also be the reason wby boat propellers are traditionally cast from bronzw.

 

 

On 08/03/2023 at 15:16, Tony Brooks said:

A bit of second-hand teak if you can find it and afford it. Otherwise, mahogany. I would say oak but have a feeling it rots badly in fresh water, I will let the carpenters confirm or deny that.

 

Definitely not Oak, it is possibly one of the worst timbers for causing oxidization of ferrous metals in a wet or damp environment. Traditionally the timber used in the UK for areas where it is routinely wet is English Elm. It can still be found in specialist hardwood yards, but predominantly in the north of England and the Scottish Borders, where some stands have survived, but it is extreemly expensive.

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On 08/03/2023 at 18:46, magnetman said:

 

 

I think the stern section on wooden narrow boats might be oak as well. 

Oak sides,shearing,  stem and stern posts and elm bottoms are/were  standard for wooden NBs on all those I am familiar with. Wrought iron spikes are ok , galvanised, not plated, fixings are ok. All of these materials are now very expensive. Vast quantities of  European oak  have been sourced for  restoring Notre Dame in Paris, pushing the price up. Beware of American oak, much used for fancy staircases etc in buildings, some versions are porous and not at all suited to wet conditions, you can actually blow air through a small sample!

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On 08/03/2023 at 22:00, blackrose said:

 

Yes I was thinking about plastic decking. It comes in a wood grain effect. It's very heavy and won't rot. It's expensive though so perhaps you could get some offcuts if you don't need much?

Something like this https://www.kedel.co.uk/mixed-plastic-lumber/recycled-mixed-plastic-boardplank.html (never used them, so not a recommendation)

Postage may be costly though

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12 hours ago, redwing said:

Something like this https://www.kedel.co.uk/mixed-plastic-lumber/recycled-mixed-plastic-boardplank.html (never used them, so not a recommendation)

Postage may be costly though

i like the idea of using a recycled plastic , certainly wont rot. ill see what available locally 

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15 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

If you are determined to use wood think in terms of Green Heart or Purple Heart,  Lignum Vitae would be good, have you any old bowls laying around?

 

What a terrible waste of Lignum Vitaem, the hardest commercialy available wood known, and much prized by wood carvers, who use old Bowls to make Carving Mallet heads.

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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Plasticus Plasticus Drainus Pipae. 

 

Sikaflexus maximimus for sticking it down with. 

Ite ad Wickes quando tibi pecuniam..

 

 

Veni vidi volo ad navem redire.

Edited by magnetman
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