Cost wise- best place to purchase marine grade plywood

[shayski]

I live in the U.S. Ohio/Michigan area.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by shayski

I live in the U.S. Ohio/Michigan area.

I lived in Grand Rapids Michigan for over 20 years before moving aboard. There are many specialty sources to find using the internet.

Hardwood Lumber, Solid Wood Countertops, Marine and Veneer Plywood Johnson’s Worhkbench has a lot of capabilities and inventory. They can get anything you might need or tell you where to look. Check out their plywood, many marine grades listed.

https://www.mcmaster.com McMaster Carr for a multitude of hardware, tools and materials including SS fasteners, shackles, cables, plastics etc.

Marine Part Depot
Marine Parts Depot. Stainless parts source. These guys have an amazing inventory of affordable parts. I use them for non-critical items, not for holding up the mast. Look for 316 stainless, not 305. Much of their stuff is Chinese.

Fiberglass , Epoxy , Composites, Carbon Fiber - U.S. Composites, Inc. US Composites. I have used many epoxies from the usual suppliers. I prefer their 635 THIN 2:1 for all of my new builds and repairs. Long working times, soap and water clean up of unreacted resin on your skin. Zero blush so you can build easily over several days without worrying about bonding. I buy in 3-gallon sets and always use the pumps. They also have any fillers and glass or other reinforcement materials. Their price is significantly lower than We$t Marine.

Check out the vendors links here on CF.

[Privilege]

Just offering an alternative view here...there are many applications in boat building where expensive marine ply and epoxies are just not necessary. All ply will eventually rot when exposed to moisture so your goal should be to have all non-decorative wood encapsulated in glass anyway. Therefore, many applications will not require marine ply.

Most boats are made entirely with polyester resin, not epoxy. Polyester resin is at least a quarter the price of epoxy. It's perfectly normal for all hulls, decks and internal structures to be made with polyester.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Privilege

Just offering an alternative view here...there are many applications in boat building where expensive marine ply and epoxies are just not necessary. All ply will eventually rot when exposed to moisture so your goal should be to have all non-decorative wood encapsulated in glass anyway. Therefore, many applications will not require marine ply.

Most boats are made entirely with polyester resin, not epoxy. Polyester resin is at least a quarter the price of epoxy. It's perfectly normal for all hulls, decks and internal structures to be made with polyester.

Most new boats are vinyl ester. Polyester is prone to blistering. US Composites 635 THIN resin in quantity is very affordable.

[Privilege]

I'm not a boat builder so will bow to better knowledge but the Google suggests that 95% of boats under 60' are still built with polyester. Either way, my point is that expensive epoxy is not necessary in most boat building applications.

[Pendrith]

And on a similar note re: 1088 ply..u might want to try material called crezone or medium density overlay...this is the material they make those big green highway routing signs out of. Caveat...treat all cut edges with epoxy before installation...I would not hesitate to use it anywhere on the interior ( bulkheads...cabinetry..etc which might be painted)...or above the waterline. Very good finish and half the price of marine ply...btw..those signs take a heck of a beating outside 24/7/365...rain,shine,so let and snow.

[Zach]

MDO is good stuff, I've played with it, mainly on interiors. Bit of a hell on tools however.


Marine ply in Occume and Meranti have a positive that they can be sanded/long boarded smooth between layers. Bit back breaking, but you can get pretty smooth before fiberglass sheathing.


Cheers,

Zach

[coastalexplorer]

shaysky. In north America USA in particular most people say that they are about to pull the trigger on something that they are considering buying.



My curiosity question is why are you considering building your own Catamaran?


I especially ask this question because you have stated that you are NOT presently a boat builder.


IF it should be that the answer to this question is a notion that you will save any money by building your own boat?


Perhaps in that case you should reconsider your position. and refer to your opening statement. which was ->



(I'm about to pull the plug on a catamaran build)


You asked about plywood so I have answered that question.
IF you want to teach your self wood work and boat building, good luck to you.

IF you do not have family and friends to help you yet you proceed I can predict that this will take you a number of years and cost more than a down payment and a bank loan on a new boat which can be sailed immediately

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by shayski

I live in the U.S. Ohio/Michigan area.

Do a google search for marine plywood in Ohio. I have. You will see a number of dealers, if you pick it up yourself you are going to save money, a factor that’s going to affect overall price. Having it shipped from other states will probably negate any initial price savings you are going to have.

[lady sophie]

A lot of places claim to have "Marine Plywood" but it should meet British Standard 1088. That is the Lloyd's rated marine plywood.