Wood Type for Interior Hull

[Lojanica]

Cypress---many varieties to choose from.

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by pesarsten

Years ago I installed Ash on my 26' southcoast interior. I had a furniture manufacturer mill 2 inch wide 1/4 inch thick strips.

It turned out terrific

Paul

+1 for ash. My Menger catboat has ash staving and trim in the cabin and it looks great. I'm thinking about adding ceilings as well to cover some of the glaring white fiberglass liner.

A light-colored wood like ash makes a boat interior seem bigger.

[Lojanica]

Ash is very nice but it is a favorite of termites and also low rot resistance

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Lojanica

Ash is very nice but it is a favorite of termites and also low rot resistance

If you have termites and water inside your boat cabin, then you have bigger problems than your wood choice.

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

If you have termites and water inside your boat cabin, then you have bigger problems than your wood choice.

Actually, if you have termites in your boat it could very well have been exactly your choice of wood.

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Actually, if you have termites in your boat it could very well have been exactly your choice of wood.

Lifelong woodworker and professional musical instrument builder here.

If YOU put the wood in your boat and it is infested, then you can blame yourself, not the wood species. Ingress holes are obvious.

[Lojanica]

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

If you have termites and water inside your boat cabin, then you have bigger problems than your wood choice.

Don't shoot the messenger. Ash is a favored wood of furniture makers for home furniture.

Let me tell a story you be the judge.

A friend asked me to help with some refitting. Nice well found vessel with ash and teak. Upon digging into some of the interior it was found a journal which extended to the companionway. It was easy to trace the portal of entry: A tiny corner of the companionway a termite made entry and tunneled through every square inch of the ash. Didn't touch the teak. Quite the learning experience. Termites will destroy a boat. They love ash. Not so much cedar, cypress, or teak. They like mahogany too.

They do not always announce their presence and can be treated but after seeing the results of a "stealth infestation" I'll stick to less rotty, more insect proof species.

Everyone is free to proceed as they wish.

Good luck and I didn't intend to malign those with ash interior but the question was asked and I replied truthfully based on my experience.

[pistarckle]

Small boat - small budget . Beer Budget .
I second cypress , rip it maybe three inches wide , plane it about the thickness of a yard stick . When in a yard buying cypress ask for fence pickets , they will be half price , any thing in a cypress yard less than 8 feet is called a fence picket . I get the yard to re-saw the one inch so I get a pair of half inch pieces . They charge ya for both pieces , but in most boats you will not want lumber one inch thick . Of course I have two planers and a fully equip. wood shop .
Also what looks purty good if done right is " door skin ". Fast and cheap , a beer budget !It comes in luan which can look like mahogany in a dim light !

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Lojanica

Don't shoot the messenger. Ash is a favored wood of furniture makers for home furniture.

Let me tell a story you be the judge.

A friend asked me to help with some refitting. Nice well found vessel with ash and teak. Upon digging into some of the interior it was found a journal which extended to the companionway. It was easy to trace the portal of entry: A tiny corner of the companionway a termite made entry and tunneled through every square inch of the ash. Didn't touch the teak. Quite the learning experience. Termites will destroy a boat. They love ash. Not so much cedar, cypress, or teak. They like mahogany too.

They do not always announce their presence and can be treated but after seeing the results of a "stealth infestation" I'll stick to less rotty, more insect proof species.

Everyone is free to proceed as they wish.

Good luck and I didn't intend to malign those with ash interior but the question was asked and I replied truthfully based on my experience.

Not intending to shoot the messenger at all... just curious as to where the infested boat was kept. In the Northeastern US a lot of boats use ash in the interior, and I've never heard of one with a problem.

I can see where a sloppy boatyard might use some wood that shows signs of infestation, but no self-respecting owner would.

Hmm... a single termite isn't going to destroy a boat, but a colony certainly could. Thought they were like ants and required a queen in residence to reproduce.