Wood for interior

[keyspc]

Originally Posted by Delfin

Deciding which wood to use should factor in weight and where it is to be used. Many sailboats have too much wood, IMHO, and are too dark below as a result. A compromise I used when building out Delfin was to trim white painted Okume marine plywood with very hard, very pretty Jotoba, a la Herreshof. The Jotoba gains a rich reddish color on its own and resists dings, being harder than white oak. It is a renewable wood. This gives you a balance between weight (yours is sail, so lighter is better) with durable trim.

Cedar is used in lots of boats in the Northwest, but is subject to damage because it is so soft. It also naturally turns to a yellowish color which to my eye isn't very pleasing.

For flooring, pick something hard. Moabi is what I used and it is pretty good, pretty hard and not too heavy for a sailboat. Moabi benefits from a thorough sealing, and turns a natural beautiful reddish color.

There's a section on Delfin's website on what woods were used and how they were finished.

That's f'ing beautiful
!

[mikepmtl]

Also using Okume marine from... They also have floor panels and other stuff you might want to look at.

World Panel Products Inc

For hardwood I have been using Makore. It has many names.

I've been ordering it from:

Makore 4/4 Project Pack: 20 Board Feet Shipped to You! Lowest Price, Highest Quality for your wood working needs from Woodworkers Source

[I.Grind]

Originally Posted by boatman61

How about a Eucalyptus..? if you like a light wood... it is heavier than some but should be durable enough..
This is a sort of answer/question... tons of it here in Portugal and my teak rub rail, grab handles etc are about or are totally shot..
Eucalyptus seems okay for exterior use but wonder if the strong gum content could pose a risk for internal jobs... another plus... it likes marine teak oil...

Eucalyptus splits. Google it, Southern Pacific imported it to CA for railroad ties. Too crappy, even for that.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by I.Grind

Eucalyptus splits. Google it, Southern Pacific imported it to CA for railroad ties. Too crappy, even for that.

Grinder, if you refer to my earlier post, there are hundreds of different eucalypts, and their properties range all over the map. Don't know what SP imported, but that example does not mean that there are no eucalypts that are suitable for boat building or interiors.

Cheers,

Jim

[I.Grind]

Jim,

That's what I get for popping off without reading the whole thread. Your right too, I didn't think about til after I posted, that there were probably other varieties than the crap So. Pac. Planted here in Nor Cal.

[europaflyer]

The Wood Database | Hardwood and Softwood Lumber Identification for Woodworking

This seems a solid resource which you might find helpful.

[s/v Beth]

I would caution you about using too much cedar. It is toxic to bugs and small amounts may give you a lot of allergies. Wood is implicated in a few pulmonary diseases- I think I would use a hardwood that I could varnish and or cover. My floor is made of holly btw, which has lasted for 35 years now...

[Cheechako]

Good point on the cedar... when I built my 31 i put a bunch of white cedar in it, the perfume in it was so strong when I was sawing it on the table saw that it made my eyes water! I loved the smell though. It varnishes beautifully ....

[rtbates]

Ever since my first trip to Belize in 76 and seeing purple heart, I've loved this wood.
But alas, it's quite expensive, unless you travel to Central America and buy it there as we did.
Peltogyne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Matt sachs]

I'm using white oak and walnut for the salon sole. I've been collecting maple, cherry, walnut, pecan, yellow pine, red and white oak for several years so its free to me. A full wood shed is a wondeful thing to have....

[kthoennes]

Same here. My inlaws had some land cleared and now I have enough oak, walnut, and cherry than I'll need for the rest of my life. I figure if they built Lord Nelson's and John Paul Jones' ships out of oak, it might be okay for me too.

[Matt sachs]

Maybe I'm just being cheap, but I find it rewarding to find a tree in the woods (usually already dead)and later building someting out of it.

[Dumontfx]

Yeah last summer me and my dad cut of bunch if cedar and planks out of it so I was thinking of using that and using a dark varnish since the Cedar is quite light ....

[nimblemotors]

hey while talking of cuttig down trees for wood, allow me to go off-topic and ask if anyone has grown balsa trees? I have about half-acre lot the trees cleared, not doing anything, and was thinking I can grow some balsa on it, my research indicates only 3-4 years before it's ready to cut down. Can make some something out of it, probably interior panels for my boat (core), stuff is expensive to buy!

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by Dumontfx

Yeah last summer me and my dad cut of bunch if cedar and planks out of it so I was thinking of using that and using a dark varnish since the Cedar is quite light ....

I'm not aware of cedar being toxic in any way - fragrant yes, but toxic? If that were the case, there would be thousands of homes in the Northwest will some real problems so I wouldn't worry much about that. As noted, the only issue with cedar is that you can dent it with a fingernail, which is why yellow cedar is used on boats, it being the only cedar with any level of resistance to dings. Atlantic white cedar is the softest of all, so know your species before you commit to it. Atlantic cedar is about as hard as cotton wood, which is to say, as hard as cotton.

If you like the yellowed look, which you will get with our without varnish and can live with the softness, go for it. However, you might try taking a piece, dilute any kind of solvent based white paint 75% with thinner and wiping that onto a sample as an invisible stain. Varnish it and see what you think. Cedar treated this way won't yellow anywhere nearly to the same degree as untreated cedar.