Cedar for use as boat flooring?

[JollyBFD]

Hey, I've been thinking about putting a solid wood panel floor in my newly acquired 1956 Lonestar Eldorado, and in pricing 1x6's, cedar looks very attractive, besides being an aromatic. Have any of you used cedar in a boat floor, or heard of it being used before? Any pros or cons to doing a hardwood floor, other than being potentially slippery? I'm new to boats, so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Nikko]

Re: Cedar for use as boat flooring?

First off, cedar (thinking western red cedar here) isn't a hardwood and will dent/mark when items are dragged or droped on it.<br /> <br />Secondly, cedar splinters easily which can be tough on bare feet. <br /><br />Third, if you'r planning on a side-to-side floor and you want it to be all wood, you need to allow for expansion and contraction. Cedar will move approx 1/4" for every 6" of width meaning a floor that's 5' wide can potentially move by as much as 2 or 2.5". This can be reduced (to acceptable) by finishing the wood on the top, bottom, sides AND ends to reduce the fluctuations in moisture content though.<br /><br />However...I put home-grown cedar Adarondack-style back-to-back seats in my boat (1967 14' Islanders) and love them. <br /><br />(final fit before finish)<br /> http://www.robswoodworking.com/images/seats_3.jpg <br /><br />I'm planning on a cedar "lattice" type floor sometime soon as well with the hole size approx 1/2" square and the wood finished in Cetol. <br /><br />There's something about cedar in a boat....<br /><br />Good luck!<br />Nikko

 

[BillP]

Re: Cedar for use as boat flooring?

Here is some trivial cedar info...Old PennYan skiffs were strip planked cedar. They were excellent boats and held up well.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Cedar for use as boat flooring?

Eastern White Cedar is used for Boats,..... Rot Resistent,.. But No Smell..........<br /><br />Western Red Cedar is for your Closet,........ Nice Smell,..... But No Rot Resistence.....

 

[Terry H]

Re: Cedar for use as boat flooring?

Western Red Cedar is for planking. It's light in weight, Very soft and easy to work, and durable. Many a canoe is stripped withe wrc. You're thinking of "Aromatic cedar" for closets, it comes from the eastern U.S. somewhere. You can use wrc for a deck if it's been glassed. Vertical grained Douglas Fir has traditionally been used for decks but these days vg fir is very expensive and difficult to obtain as it's cut from old growth Fir trees. Chief