marine plywood

[marvxyz1]

I understand that you need to use marine plywood in order to repair a floor or seats on a boat. Where can this plywood be bought, and how much does it cost a sheet of 3/4 in plywood? Marvxyz1

 

[roscoe]

Re: marine plywood

There really is no such thing as marine grade plywood on the market these days. Or so I've been told by an actual plywood manufacturer.

What you want is "void free" plywood. Which is plywood that has all the imperfections plugged, on all layers.

Also, choose plywood with the most plies.

Then, to make it really last, you want to seal the wood before installation.

 

[goboating]

Re: marine plywood

I was quoted $100.00 for a 4x8 sheet. this is 5 ply and has more glue than normal plywood and no voids. It was hard to keep a straight face when I was told that. I thanked the retailer and I have liked regular plywwod ever since!

 

[PINIT]

Re: marine plywood

I just picked up a sheet of Arauco ACX 3/4 plywood from home depot for $33 bucks. its a solid sheet with no voids.

 

[drakus]

Re: marine plywood

I was quoted $100.00 for a 4x8 sheet. this is 5 ply and has more glue than normal plywood and no voids. It was hard to keep a straight face when I was told that. I thanked the retailer and I have liked regular plywwod ever since!

True marine plywood is 7 ply's believe it or not you can get it from menards but it is special order and i wouldn't trust menards wood.. go to your local lumber yard and have them order it. should run about $100 for 1/2 and $130 for 3/4 depending on area...

Or do what I did, get yourself some AB ply and seal it. there is no voids and will run about $40 - $50 a board.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: marine plywood

True marine plywood is 7 ply's .........................should run about $100 for 1/2 and $130 for 3/4

I paid $70/sheet for 3/4 marine ply 2 years ago, and I'm out in the middle of the desert....

One main distinction between marine plywood and normal plywood it the ply's are laid at 45* compared to 90* in most other plywoods. But, there are so many types of marine plywood, it's hard to just lump them all into 1 group. When I use the term marine plywood, I'm thinking untreated douglas fir, all interior ply's void free or patched and the ply's laid at 45*. Though,,,, there are a lot of other types of "marine" plywood.

For your deck and seats, I would just use a good grade of plywood and seal it up well with epoxy resin, or poly resin and glass.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: marine plywood

Arauco ply at Lowe's is 7ply with little to no voids. $35 or so a sheet for 3/4"

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: marine plywood

This has been a forum discussion many times ( some quite heated). Now the results of those discussions are that there is no doubt marine grade Douglas fir is by far the best to use (it's the only plywood I use), BUT the difference of opinions are is it really needed.

The answer is not exact...it's where opinions come in...exterior AC plywood is used often, as well as underlayment and accuraply. All are okay since it all needs to be sealed with glass when installed.

MDO is also preferred by some here, and it has many +'s too. The bottom line is how much do you want to spend vs the quality of the finished product. Personally, as I've said I stick with marine grade (straight, easy to work with, solid core, and doesn't soak
up as much resin as other types)

So, the choice is yours....good luck.

CW

Here's some reading for ya.http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=459828

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: marine plywood

Here I come with the MDO. I like it for decks because you don't have to precoat it and therefore you'll save about 2 gallons of resin and that will almost PAY for 1/2 the cost of the Wood. Basically Void FREE. 100% Waterproof. Been used in the wood boat building industry for 1/2 a century. Cost more than Arauco but lots less than Marine. Quality Lumber yards carry it.

I just can't find a Down side to it.

This will tell you more...

http://www.plumcreek.com/Portals/0/downloads/productInfo/MDO.pdf

 

[BWT]

Re: marine plywood

The only ply I use comes from Boulter Plywood (google it). They have true marine grade which is certified Loyd's of London (BS1088). Uses water and boil proof glue (BS6566 is also marine grade, but slightly lesser quality; still better than anything your going to find at a big box store.) It's not cheap, but I am a firm believer that with ply you get what you pay for; I consider the extra dollars cheap insurance over the long haul.

~BWT