Re: [Cal_Boats] Bulkheads - OKUME

Good morning to all: Going back to bulkhead material, I actually found a supplier for marine grade okoume plywood, and I am going along with the suggestion. I agree, if I am putting the hours into bulkhead replacement, might as well go with a little extra for good wood. Thanks to all for the advice! We are bracing for yet another storm in PR, it is just hanging around and building up in strength. Should hit us late Wednesday, early Thusday. I don't think it will be too bad, nothing like the one that hit the Texas coast. Anyway, Im rambling, regards to all and thanks again! Jeff '72 Cal 33 From: Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:16:27 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Bulkheads - OKUME timmothy.lessley@ ch2m.com wrote: Good to know there are choices. For a rebuild, of such an important structure, I know that I was willing to spend the few extra bucks for "bulletproof" material. For me the many hours of labor to install wash away the cost, and long term, for me, the Okoume is really beautiful. I built my wood/epoxy sea kayak of okoume plywood over 11 years ago, and it has been afloat in the Great Lakes every month since I launched. Mind you, I maintain it carefully, and the wood is entirely epoxy-encapsulated, so I could have built the boat of birch and it would still be rot free. Okoume is not greatly rot-resistant. I think it falls in the "somewhat" range. The key is to protect it from moisture intrusion by making sure that all edges, surfaces, and penetrations are thoroughly sealed with epoxy. One advantage of okoume is that it's available in marine grades, which means fewer voids in the inner plies. Long ago, "interior plywood" was stuff with water-soluble glues. I understand that all plywoods use waterproof glues now so that's less of an issue. But specs for non-marine grades do allow larger voids. Chris Campbell