Thread: Is Paulownia OK for Hartley TS framing?

Don't see why not Mik has a page on it.
Q&A - Paulownia (Kirri) - a lightweight timber for boatbuilding - Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans

The only issue I have had is it tends to be more susceptible to crush than even WRC so some thought is needed as to the application however a hardwood cap can overcome this drawback.

The Hartley construction involves extensive use of stringers and chinelogs, for which Western Red Cedar is normally used. You can simply substitute Paulownia for those components where WRC is recommended. There are other low-stress places like the cleats for attaching the ply decking etc where you can use Paulownia. You just need some common sense. For example, you probably would not use it for the keelson, unless you increased the dimensions or incorporated it in the lamination with other timber.

Hi Simon, I'm not sure if you've done this or not, but you need to have a long look at the top boats and then your sailing experience, not necessarily in that order. I too built a Hartley a number of years ago, ( and sailed in a number of championships and trailable races) and while it wasnt a particularly heavy boat I felt that the top sailers were so far ahead in tactics etc that a diferent boat wouldnt have made a lot difference to them. I'd suggest a couple more yaers in your present boat to get experince then lash out. A footy player isnt good 'cos of his great boots. BTW dont build your boat to the plans, what I mean is that you'll find that the measurement rules permit a little tweaking here and there. For instance the cabin has a height tolerance of ( from memory) plus/minus 2 inches ( race = min height and cruise go for max). The frames have certain measurements that can be adjusted for better sailing ability also. There's lots of such measurements and if you ask around you'll get a better race boat than by just using the right wood. Apparently its not very hard to build down to the minimum weight but you also need to build in stiffness amongst other things.

Ok rant over, best of luck

Andrew

I've got the measurement rules, and plan to milk them for all they're worth.
I've done pretty well racing in Moths and Lasers over the last 40 years, and although I've wondered whether tactics (or even basic skills) were an issue, we won two of the starts, and started well in most of the others, but were overhauled by minimum weights boats within a tack of two. That's not to say I can't learn a lot from the leaders, but you've got to be up there with them to watch them.
I have a light crew, and I want any weight in the boat to be in the keelson and centreboard to help keep her flat, so want the rest of the boat to be as light as possible, to stay within 360kg minimum weight.

Simon,

I typed an response to your thread a few days ago but I can't see it now. It wasn't much help as I don't offer advice as I'm not qualified to do so. All I ever do is tell customers what other people have used in similar projects. Having said that I do believe paulownia will do what WRC can do but is 25% lighter timber. I have been getting a few customers wanting paulownia to make foils for racing dinghys so it is slowly getting acceptance beyond the surfboard and strip plank kayak builders. Anything else I had added is now covered so I won't continue.
Whitewood

Thanks John for your reply and PM. Paulownia seems to be becoming more accepted as a WRC substitute, so I think that's the way I'll go. Now to find the time!
You must google "paulownia" every week! It's great to have your input, and a good lesson in marketing for the rest of us!