Thread: Tell me it isn't so.....

That does seem expensive, but I'm used to BC prices and I think we produce most of the stuff.

You might want to try calling around. I know I can get it for $3.50/bd ft (that's 12"x12"x1"... not sure how you measure wood volume in Australia. Quite likely by some more reasonable unit) if I go to a local mill. If I go to the local fine wood store it's $8/bd ft. I once tried to buy a piece at a hardware store and it would have cost me something like $26/bd ft.

Alternatively, is there some other more available wood you could use? Mik's website mentions Paulownia as an alternative that may be cheaper in Australia Q&A - Paulownia (Kirri) - a lightweight timber for boatbuilding - Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans

What amount of wood is that price quote for?

Ditto on the wood substitution comment. I'm not using WRC in my build. I've substituted Eastern White Pine because it's reasonably similar in strength and weight but way less expensive here on the east coast of US.

Keep shopping!

Originally Posted by Andykane

That does seem expensive, but I'm used to BC prices and I think we produce most of the stuff.

You might want to try calling around. I know I can get it for $3.50/bd ft (that's 12"x12"x1"... not sure how you measure wood volume in Australia. Quite likely by some more reasonable unit) if I go to a local mill. If I go to the local fine wood store it's $8/bd ft. I once tried to buy a piece at a hardware store and it would have cost me something like $26/bd ft.

Alternatively, is there some other more available wood you could use? Mik's website mentions Paulownia as an alternative that may be cheaper in Australia Q&A - Paulownia (Kirri) - a lightweight timber for boatbuilding - Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans

Rohinmyson

I sell quite a bit of Paulownia to members of the yachting fraternity to build foils for their crafts. They use it instead of the WRC. My price is still not cheap. To use the Canadian pricing it is $18.15 (aus) a bd/ft for small retail sales. See paulownia-timber-sales.com.au for other prices.

Whitewood

That was just for the rudder and centre board......

look at HOOP PINE or SILVER QUONDONG, both will give light weight and good strength.

Jeff

I spent quite a bit of money on 3 big boards: 2 long, straight, clear pieces of old-growth, very fine-grained douglas fir and 1 piece of similar dimension but with wider growth rings. Together, these 3 boards set me back about US$450, a big chunk of the total I spent on all of the supplies and hardware for the entire boat.

From those 3 boards I got out all of the spars, the gunwales and inwales, the knees and breasthook, mast step and partner, and the board across the top of the transom. I had to rip one piece, fold it like a book, and glue it together to make the blanks for the yard and boom, and I had to scarf in one small piece at the foot of the mast, but otherwise I didn't have to scarf or rework any of those components. I have only a few small scraps of those boards left. So I think it was a good investment overall.

Otherwise, I pretty much stuck to whatever dimensional lumber was cheaply available at the local lumberyard. It's an old yard and they had lots of stuff in the attic that they had kind of forgotten about. My carpenter friend and I were able to paw through it to find what we needed. But none of it was crazy expensive. The WRC was all rough-finished dimensional lumber intended for outdoor decks and fences. The hardwood was sapele sold for flooring. I had to mix and match that stuff, ripping, planing, and scarfing to put together the sizes I needed. But it wasn't a big hassle. My friend and I did most of it in one afternoon with a table saw and thickness planer.

Anyway, the point of all this drivel is this: you may want to pony up for the long, tough, structural parts, but use whatever is cheap and available for the rest. This is especially true for something like the foils where you will be gluing up a bunch of small pieces and covering the whole thing with cloth. No worries if you have a few extra seams where you cut out some knotty parts or if it weighs a pound more than spec. Go with anything reasonably light that takes glue well and is easy to work. Save your money for the parts where it really matters.

What boat are you building?
I just get all my stuff from the guys at duckflats, and ask if they can put together a kit for me.
You pay a bit extra for the postage, but it gets delivered to your door. I presume they are giving me a good price, and it saves me on petrol/time/effort shopping around local. especially handy when it comes to finding fittings

Tell me what sizes you want and I'll see what I can do for you.
Greg

Thanks guys for the offer of help, the missus beat you all to it and scored some RWC for what she said was a good price, as a Christmas pressie

She's a keeper!

Blackbutt? That's a keel, not a centreboard, haha.

Paulownia is top stuff for the CB and very reasonable. Stable too.