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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Newcomer With Question
--- Fremitz13@aol.com wrote:
> I am a newcomer to this mailing list and would like to ask you all about a
> type of plywood I should use. For my first (Ever) project I am building a
> Delta Wing sub. If you arent farmilliar with it, it is a one manned craft
> that is semi-dry. I has a simple plywood hull and requires exterior grade
> plywood. All the wood boats that I know of are made with marine grade
> plywood, which I think would be the safer way to go, not risking it falling
> apart from it being saturated with water. I just want some oppinions on this.
Builders of small surface boats are almost universal in agreeing that, if the surfaces are
properly sealed and the boat is stored on land, then marine ply is an unnecessary expense. The
difference lies in the number of interior voids - gaps in the wood where moisture could collect
and promote rot. Marine ply is supposed to have few or none of these, while they are common and
frequent in exterior ply. Standards of marine ply, and the enforcement thereof, varies greatly.
By reputation, the best and most reliable stuff is sold in the UK, under a strict inspection
regimen, and is marked as compliant with standard BS1066 (I think). Marine ply is generally 4 to
8 times the price of exterior grade.
Proper seal would probably include fiberglass set in epoxy, on all surfaces - perhaps doubled at
the edges (endgrain).
Avoid interior grades, as the glues are sometimes water-soluble and even a slight entry of
moisture can cause delamination.
If stored on land, it should dry and give a long service life with exterior. Marine can rot too,
but generally not from the inside.
-Lew
PS Where can I learn more about the Delta Wing?
=====
"Yo no soy marinero / Soy capitan"
- Traditional Mexican Lyric (La Bamba)
=====
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