Spanish Cedar for a bowsprit

[Tatheelrod22]

Having to replace the bowsprit on my 40 ft gaff rigged schooner. The original was pine lasted 47 years but showed signs of rot. I’m blessed to have found an excellent woodworker who is going to build it for me and I’ll do the finish work and installation. He has a piece of 30 year old Spanish cedar that has been barn stored all that time. Its dimensions are perfect from which to start.
I know nothing about the characterstics. In case this matters. Reusing the same hardware and reattaching in the same manner, it will have four feet of it secured to the deck by 4 bolts that are 8” long. It sits not on the deck but on a 2” thick teak plank which lays on top of the deck. About 30 “ protrude beyond hole it goes through at the bow. It’s has a headstay with a hanked on yankee and three bobstays. Just beyond the bow there is stay for a club footed staysail. There is also an anchor roller on each side. Pics are below for a visual.

In addition to the question about Spanish Cedar, who can tell me what those two pines pieces with the holes in them are intended for? My guess is so you could weave a net of some sort so you could just drop the yankee?
Thanks in advance for all replies.

[boatpoker]

Google ... "properties of Spanish Cedar".

[Fore and Aft]

Tathreelrod22 I would use it for sure. A quick google search seems to all agree it is a good timber for boatbuilding. I particularly like the sound of the tight grain, that's what I usually look for when building structural timber components.
Cheers
https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/t...-spanish-cedar

[Bowdrie]

Those holes may have been for lanyards to use to secure the heads of the anchors when they're housed.
They probably match fairly closely with the hole on a CQR anchor.
One long lanyard with stopper knots that would provide a decent sized loop between the wood parts, two anchors could be secured without a lot of fumbling around.
Just taking a guess, but I've seen similar before.

[Russ]

I’d check recusing for a bow sprit
Cedar is light and used mostly for small boat planking
My 1947 Lightning sailboat is red cedar double planked but ribs and center board trunk were Philippine mahogany
I be worried about its bending strength.
Cedar red/white has half the bending strength of yellow pine
Best investigate
Check it out at Wooden Boat web site

[bil56]

glued laminated wood will give better resistance ...

[Bowdrie]

Bending isn't generally an issue, with the jibstay, whiskers, and bobstay properly tensioned the bowsprit is in compression.
Hint; the lower end of the bobstay is frequently or continually submerged, swedge fittings can be suspect, use heavy chain.