spotted gum as a boat building timber
Gday all
My BIL has just purchased a timber boat (32 foot). Its made primarily of spotted gum, and it seems as though this is a popular species for building boats. I'm intrigued by this as it has a durability rating of 2. Can anyone enlighten me as to why spotted gum is such a popular choice. The boat needs a few repairs, not hull but bump rails, hand rails etc. I have nil experience in boating but do mill timber. I could source spotted gum but are there any other species which grow Sth East Qld that would be as good. The flip side to that is, what timber should we avoid putting into a boat.
It is my presumption back (flat) sawn timber would be the way to go (less prone to cracking through, but down side in that it moves more than quarter sawn) but am also keen to hear from others in the know re the topic. THanks in advance for any advice.
Frank