Thread: Marine ply

ok so a little more research and i found that when i buy "marine it is gaboon/ocoume.end of choice.lol

sounds like you are asking at hardware or building suppliers.
Might pay you to grab a copy of Aust. Amateur Boat Builder magazine & check out some of their advertisers.
IIRC, MIK was putting together a supplier resource compendium too. Might find it at his web site?

As I understand it, "marine ply" is your first question to ask because that sets the quality of glue and quality control of the veneers used. And that's specified by BS or AS/NZ which I guess for our purposes are functionally equivalent.

If they say "gaboon" or "okoume" then that's also all you need to know, because those are or ought to be different names for the same timber, that is also the one we want because it is very light compared to other, say pine, plywoods.

So it sounds like you've found your supplier.

I think!

Originally Posted by MichaelB

If they say "gaboon" or "okoume" then that's also all you need to know, because those are or ought to be different names for the same timber, that is also the one we want because it is very light.

Not so fast - I'd be careful to look beyond just the description "BS1088 Gaboon Marine Ply" That should be all you need to know, but there is a range of qualities/levels of quality control, depending on manufacturer and possibly country of origin. It is of course possible for a manufacturer in a country with less stringent regulation than down under or Europe to just create a stamp that says BS1088 and put it on their plywood, and for that plywood to end up being sold down here.

Top of the line seems to be French manufacturers such as Joubert which everyone who has used seems to rave about. At the other end some people have had problems with Chinese origin Gaboon stamped BS1088. I got some that seems to be of Chinese origin, quality was OK, but only just, some sheets were better than others, some had a good face and a poor face, size was 1200x2400mm not 1240x2500 which is what you will get from the European suppliers. I could work around this and it's not going to compromise the quality of my build in the end, but if I was doing another build, I'd be taking a deep breath and paying the extra (half as much again) and making sure I was ordering Joubert ply or at least knew the country of origin and name of the manufacturer of the ply. (Which for anything that is true BS1088 should be on the label on every sheet)

There is also a Lloyds Approval Certificate that I believe provides independent verification that the ply meets the BS1088 standard.

It's perhaps not quite so critical if you are able to sight the ply before you buy and pick your sheets from a stack, but if you're buying sight unseen and having it delivered, I'd be careful. I'd be particularly careful about the size as well. Most plans are based around fitting on 1240x2500mm sheets, if your sheets are 1200x2400 you've got a problem. This can apply to both some of the Chinese origin Gaboon, but also I think the local origin AS/NZS 2272 Hoop pine ply which is high quality has gone metric and sheets are only 1200x2400.

My understanding is that the AS/NZS for Marine plywood is AS/NZS 2272, but it applies to ply manufactured down under, so you won't find Gaboon/Okoume with AS/NZS 2272 on it. From my reading, if you're talking AS/NZS 2272 marine ply it is probably hoop pine, which is very high quality, but quite a bit heavier than the Gaboon that Mik recommends for his boats.

Ian

I'm sure there is a wide range of quality in plywoods out there.

I ordered 6mm Okoume plywood from Hughes Hardwoods in Sacramento. I had the choice of picking it up at their shop (after it was delivered) in a week or picking it up at the wholesaler's warehouse that day. I went to the wholesaler's place.

The yard crew brought out what I ordered and didn't gripe about replacing one slightly marred sheet. The plywood was stamped 1088 Marine Plywood Made in China. It measured 1250 by 2500. I couldn't see a 'good' side and a 'bad' side. I have yet to find a void in it.

Maybe I was 'lucky' but I'd buy more plywood in this manner and not be too leery about what I was getting. The plywood I bought was about 50% less than Joubert plywood.

It seems to me not all Chinese plywood is the same. Maybe "Buyer beware" would be a good rule of thumb to follow.

Originally Posted by BobWes

The yard crew brought out what I ordered and didn't gripe about replacing one slightly marred sheet.

That's got to be the trick, and I'll inspect my next order of timber closely: my plywood was fine but of four oregon planks I ordered, one has grains in it thicker than my finger. I can snap a piece in half without too much effort.

Measure twice, cut once, inspect three times first.

The chinese gaboon is very variable. There are some quite reasonable sheet and some downright nasty ones.

The problem is they tend to come in random batches - maybe several factories sharing a self inking bs1088 stamp?

The response to that ever downward price pressure from the consumer has been generally for the chinese ply to get more and more unreliable.

This has inspired Andrew Denman in Tassie to start reimportation of the Joubert, so now there is a choice at the top end too.

Most experienced people I know of are buying the Joubert at the premium price unless they can inspect the chinese stuff.

MIK

thank you guys.Your replies were a great help