Materials and their weights

[Mark42]

Is there a site that lists various boat building materials and their weights per measured amount? Looking to get an idea of the weight of marine ply in various thicknesses, how much each layer of fiberglass and epoxy add, etc. Was wondering if this info is available in per square foot, etc, because it would help me calculate how much weight would be added to a boat if the original plan is modified to have larger cabin, higher freeboard, etc.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Mark

 

[crab bait]

Re: Materials and their weights

not that i know of..<br /><br />find a craft/plans that you like.. an contact them an ask about the changes you'd like to make if any.. an how much the finished craft weighs by strict plan follow.. then ask how much extra can the craft handle..i.e. talk-to-um..

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Materials and their weights

Here's a table I made up for plywoods. This is the weight of a 12" x 12" x 1" panel, so you'll want to multiply it by the fraction of the thickness (ie, 7/16"). It is also calculated for a 12% moisture content, which is a very signitficant factor in the weight of the material (the factor is 12% in this case )<br />White Ash 3.14<br />Yellow Birch 3.57<br />Douglas Fir 2.56<br />White Fir 2.13<br />African Mahogany 2.64<br />Honduras Mahogany 2.48<br />Eastern white pine 2.31<br />Redwood 2.21<br />Sitka Spruce 2.25<br />Lauan 2.92<br /><br />That information was ultimately derrived from information in The Gougeon Brothers On Boat Construction (West System). I find it's an invaluable reference - beg, borrow or buy a copy!<br /><br />If you want the spreadsheet I used for that, email me at Paul.Moir@ns.sympatico.ca and I'd be glad to send you a copy.<br /><br />I'll see if I can dig up some info on composite materials weight too...<br /><br />EDIT: There was a small error in the data I posted above which I corrected. Also, my Gougeon's book sits next to my Skene's - it's a great reference.

 

[BillP]

Re: Materials and their weights

Skene's Elements of Yacht Design has most material listed and many mfg web sites have product specs. <br /><br />Here's ply ballpark weight, multiply/divide for different thickness: 1/4" ply = 20-25lbs a sheet...25lbs being pressure treated. Like Paul mentioned moisture content is important for weight calcs...12% is very low content.<br /><br />Fiberglass:<br />Quantity is measured by glass weight in oz. Cloth is measured by the square yd and mat by the sq ft. Calculate area of glass in total oz and add 50-60% (saturation) for resin in oz. Total oz is weight.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Materials and their weights

Thanks to all for the info, references and suggestions. Paul, look in your mailbox.<br /><br />Thanks again. Can't ask for a better group of folks on a website!<br /><br />Mark.