StarBoard vs Marine Plywood ?

[Capt.Fred]

Starboard: Take a piece of 1/2" Starboard and cut off a 1/4" strip. Now try to break that strip with your bare hands. Most of us can't do it, but not so with the best I/4"X1/2" strip of the best ply.
If you span an area with most any material you will require some kind or ribs to support it. for example; try spanning 1/2" Sb 24" with 1"X4"X1/2" ribs @ 8" O.C. Drill tap and die machine bolts @ 4" O.C. Cross blocking will help and a crown in the 1/2" Starboard strengthens the span.
Now you have a strong, rot proof product...

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by cburger

In the lazzarette you want a very durable finish otherwise the equipment stored will continuely damage the finish as the gear bounces around. An option would be to use plywood as the substrate, then prime all exposed wood in a mixture of 50 percent acetone to 50 percent polyester resin, then a layer of 5oz finish cloth laminated over the plywood, then spray with gelcoat, sand and polish. If done correctly it will look like it was part of the origional boat and will provide a very long lasting durable result.

I have attached a couple of pics of this process that was done on a customers Nordic Tug shower stall.

Why would you use polyester when epoxy is available?

[clockwork orange]

For the most part the most important physical property for almost any application in boatbuilding including, the above mentioned sliding hatch, is stiffness. Rot resistance is a construction issue and a maintainance issue, nothing more. Plywood, and I'm referring to non US made BS1088 marine plywood here.(the US does not make proper marine ply) when used by a knowlegable pro or educated boat owner and reasonably maintained by said boat owner, is a far, far better product than any available plastic product that is readily available, it is very stiff for its weight which is not the case for any plastic product i am aware of. A lot of people will run to starboard because they are too lazy for maintainance or lack the skills or basic knowledge to properly construct anything out of sensible materials but you will always end up with a sub standard end product.
There are of course exceptions, you could build a sliding hatch or drop boards, etc with h80 - h100 foam with fiberglass skins and properly detailed edges for an even lighter product with equal or greater stiffness but the materials are not as readily available to the boatowner and there is some skill involved just like working with plywood, ie, you can't just hack out a piece of material and do nothing more to protect it like you can with starboard. That is its only good property and that's not enough to justify its use for any structural purpose imho. Starboard does make nice drink holders though so there is that I supose.

Steve.

[cburger]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

. A lot of people will run to starboard because they are too lazy for maintainance or lack the skills or basic knowledge to properly construct anything out of sensible materials but you will always end up with a sub standard end product.
Steve.

I think the use of the word lazy here is a bit unfair. I think if Nat Herrshoff was alive today he would embrace the use of fiberglass as a building material. Have a dear friend in his late 70's owns a 1935 S&S wooden sailboat, all he ever does is work on the vessel, he's always chasing one thing or another. My Westsail has tons of old growth teak inside and out and I am always working on boat, thank to Lord the hull is plastic. I have come to the conclusion she's 99% work for 1% use, "Wouldn't change it for the world".

With all of life's responsibilities required outside of our love of boating I am always looking for more effective methods of repair and maintenance, not shortcuts to save time. I like 1" Starboard with big washers as backers for deck fittings and thru hulls, will never rot. Would I use for hatch boards, never because not visually pleasing, doesn't mean it doesn't work for some.

In closing plywood does rot, dunking in water for a 24hr period and drying out is not a real world test. Exposed end grain wicks water into the core of the panel. The problem becomes when the wood doesn't get a chance to dry, solid woods, even teak will rot under these conditions. If anyone does not agree I have many pictures of boats I have worked on to make my daily bread that where rotten to the core.

[clockwork orange]

Ok, maybe a little harsh but I was trying to make the point that if you are willing or have even basic common sense and basic skill you can use BS1088 plywood to make a hatch or drop boards that will virtually last forever and never rot and stay flat and stiff and not weigh a ton. It is a wonderful engineering material. A foam cored fiberglass panel would be even better but the materials are not as readily available, ie, not marketed to the boat owner. On the other hand Starboard has been heavily marketed as a replacement for plywood or lumber,which it is not, in any way. used as a sliding hatch, even at 3/4 or 1" thick which would be insanely heavy it will, over time, sag under its own weight, as a drop board it is not stiff enough at, say 1/2" thick to take a wave rolling into the cockpit without flexing enough to be pushed in. The only saving grace and what entices so many to use it inappropriately is that you can just cut it out and not have to seal edges etc. Plywood is an excellent choice for many applications as long as you are willing to spring for BS1088 marine ply and sheath it with glass cloth/epoxy, seal every hole properly and protect the epoxy with a proper paint system. So, quality materials and quality workmanship equals a quality job.

Steve.