Sea Ply - anyone used this?

[bloggs1968]

hi,

looking at using gaboon ply on my next boat( 43 foot cat) but have been having trouble with gaboon constructed to BS1088 as opposed to the OZ standard 2272 for marine ply. I see on Mr Ply and wood's site ( see http://www.misterplywood.com.au/marines2lge.htm ) that ther is a product called sea ply, built to OZ standards but from pacific coachwood. Has anyone used this yet that can comment on it?

regards,

Andrew

[Daddles]

G'day Andrew,

I see you're being innundated with replies. Wait until you've finished the boat, you'll get plenty then :rolleyes:

Gaboon. Personally, I've only had bad experiences with it - it's been crap (the $40 sheets of exterior ply I used for my Mouseboats were better by a long chalk :( ). It had the right brandings, but the surfaces and inner cores were full of voids. For some reason, the standard mark doesn't actually guarantee it was made to that standard :mad: . However, enough people who respect what they do and know what they are doing use it so my thought is that the quality varies dramatically.

My suggestion is don't buy the stuff UNLESS you can pick through the pile and choose your own sheets. I don't care if the company is respected, the mob that sold me my crappy gaboon is 'respected' - the first lot got sent back and the second lot wasn't much better.

On the other hand, I've worked with and bought lots of sheets of hoop pine ply and it has been of uniform quality and a far superiour plywood in every respect except weight.

Just my thoughts and experiences.

Richard

[graemet]

All the ply bits in my TS were gaboon from Caporn marine. I had no problems at all with voids etc. I guess you have to find a reputable dealer and specify YOUR requirements, particularly if you have substantial freight costs.
Cheers
Graeme

[Daddles]

I got mine from a specialist wooden boat yard Graeme :eek:

Richard

[bloggs1968]

Richard,

I have seen some decent gaboon and I am using some Ok stuff at the moment ( made in France) but it is a bit brittle compared to hoop. I would love to use hoop for it's high quality but weight is an issue so gaboon or foam composite for me I'm afraid. Thats why I am interested in the sea ply as it also appears to be light weight.

regards,

Andrew

[Daddles]

Plywood and foam composite eh? And I thought it was tough building a Mouseboat :D

Are you sure that the weight of Hoop is an issue? Would a slightly thinner ply do the job seeing you're working with a sandwich? Just thoughts. It's always a matter of using the best stuff you can get for the job, regardless of the name, brand or type.

Show us pics please. A 43 foot cat sounds like a monster build.

Richard