Sapele marine marine plywood

[Restoration man]

Hi I’ve just bought some sapele marine ply (a type of mahogany I’m lead to believe?) to replace part of the core in my front deck around the anchor winch and front cleats , I’ve bought this grade because it’s ment to be the best grade they sell and it’s more dense than the cheaper version ,the deck originally had 10 mm ply I can only get 9mm so I thought I would get the better one ,but now I’m now bit worried I seem to remember hearing something about mahogany and not sticking well with epoxy as it’s greasy? , im sticking it to the inside of my front grp deck (doing the repair from inside )have I dreamt this up or will I be ok ??? It says in the advert it’s ideal for epoxy coating but wanted to check first
Thanks Nick

 

[racerone]

There is a video on you tube.----sapele a padouk ----Laminated with West System.----Guy pounds these blocks with a hammer.---Then soaks in water and pounds again.-----The wood broke but not the epoxy joint.

 

[todhunter]

Didn't know you could get this. Yes, Sapele is sold as mahogany, because you can't buy Honduran mahogany any longer. It's good water-resistant wood. The original boat builder for my boat used mahogany in places and I used it in key places and didn't have an issue with polyester resin sticking to it. I just finished my restoration though, so don't have time to back up my claim that it'll be fine.

 

[Restoration man]

Thanks for the reply’s should be ok by the sounds of it

 

[AShipShow]

Yea, mahogany and sapele woods are just fine for polyester and epoxy... The main wood you need to be careful of when coating with glass or resin is Teak.. Teak has a LOT of oils in it which is why its a fantastic wood for outdoor use even without any coatings... For that you would want to wipe the wood down with acetone right before you coat it.

But again, mahogany/sapele is fine as is.. but honestly.. I usually give most stuff a good wipe with acetone before laminating anyways just to make sure the surface is totally clean and acetone flashes off very quickly so I don't have to wait on it to dry.

 

[Restoration man]

Yea, mahogany and sapele woods are just fine for polyester and epoxy... The main wood you need to be careful of when coating with glass or resin is Teak.. Teak has a LOT of oils in it which is why its a fantastic wood for outdoor use even without any coatings... For that you would want to wipe the wood down with acetone right before you coat it.

But again, mahogany/sapele is fine as is.. but honestly.. I usually give most stuff a good wipe with acetone before laminating anyways just to make sure the surface is totally clean and acetone flashes off very quickly so I don't have to wait on it to dry.

Thanks great to know put my mind at rest