1st..... I am listing this in this section to stop all of the smart remarks and hijacking of a thread. 
2nd ..... I think this needs to be discussed in a sensible light and not the boat science we are so good at.
OK... You might of gotten my drift by now.
We are here for the express purpose of helping folks build a boat for there enjoyment. The idea about this is to keep the cost down and let them have a boat , custom made by them for there pleasure the way they want it and not ours.
If they had the money ( some do ) then they could just purchase what every one they want and say screw it. They don't , they want to build one with there own hands for there use and no one else like all of us want to do.
The idea is to have a custom , hand crafted boat to meet the builders needs , what ever they are or they want , at a low cost but high quality.
To regress... I have been on the back channels with a new builder and he was saying he needed the best wood to do his build , $75 to $100.00 a sheet for a build is pure old fashion NUT'S for the 1st build. 4 Sheets =$300.00 to $400.00 that is ludicrous if just not down right stupid just for the wood.
I made a land line call to the person and advised him/them to use a less expensive wood for the 1st build. Simple reason , mistakes will be made by them ( all of us make them , I have after making 9 boats , my last mistake was on the last one I built , I measured and cut wrong , had to get another sheet of wood , thank God it was only $9.95 a sheet , I got two of them. ).
The epoxy , wood flour and the fiberglass will make up for any mistakes and they can have a boat for $400.00 or less depending on the most expensive items .... EPOXY & FIBERGLASS. Which is after the fact of the cutting , stitching and prepping the wood.
Remember the epoxy when saturated into the wood increases the strength of that wood up to 4 times , then add the fiberglass , more strength and protection for the boat.
A lot of the commercially made boats at a rather high cost only have a hull of 1/8th inch fiberglass and some wood pieces for support if any at all , ours is a lot better and stronger.
I really feel a lot safer in the one I built. It and I made it threw 4 days of some rapids which weren't suppose to be there , I still paddle it today in quiet waters.
My last commercially made canoe ( a dam good one ) had only 1/8th inch of fiberglass in the belly of it.
If a person wants the expensive wood then get a kit or after building a boat and knowing the steps , then get the better wood , you will not have a better boat , just a more expensive one but you will know how to make it.
I have several that are made out of 1/8th Luann ($9.95 a sheet) that weight from 32 pounds to 40 pounds depending on the boat that I might have $400.00 invested in if that much , not counting my time. Get one like it already made ....$2,000.00 or more.
What I guess I'm getting at is it is not the wood , it is the builders ability , the wood is only the shape or filler that we see , not the actual construction of the boat when we look at it.
Remember as simple as it is ....the boat is fiberglass and epoxy , the wood is the filling and sets the shape , Not the boat , the glass and epoxy does that. You could make one out of epoxied and glassed newspaper if you got it to hold the shape of the boat.
Then you would have something to read while out paddling and camping.
Chuck.
2nd ..... I think this needs to be discussed in a sensible light and not the boat science we are so good at.
OK... You might of gotten my drift by now.
We are here for the express purpose of helping folks build a boat for there enjoyment. The idea about this is to keep the cost down and let them have a boat , custom made by them for there pleasure the way they want it and not ours.
If they had the money ( some do ) then they could just purchase what every one they want and say screw it. They don't , they want to build one with there own hands for there use and no one else like all of us want to do.
The idea is to have a custom , hand crafted boat to meet the builders needs , what ever they are or they want , at a low cost but high quality.
To regress... I have been on the back channels with a new builder and he was saying he needed the best wood to do his build , $75 to $100.00 a sheet for a build is pure old fashion NUT'S for the 1st build. 4 Sheets =$300.00 to $400.00 that is ludicrous if just not down right stupid just for the wood.
I made a land line call to the person and advised him/them to use a less expensive wood for the 1st build. Simple reason , mistakes will be made by them ( all of us make them , I have after making 9 boats , my last mistake was on the last one I built , I measured and cut wrong , had to get another sheet of wood , thank God it was only $9.95 a sheet , I got two of them. ).
The epoxy , wood flour and the fiberglass will make up for any mistakes and they can have a boat for $400.00 or less depending on the most expensive items .... EPOXY & FIBERGLASS. Which is after the fact of the cutting , stitching and prepping the wood.
Remember the epoxy when saturated into the wood increases the strength of that wood up to 4 times , then add the fiberglass , more strength and protection for the boat.
A lot of the commercially made boats at a rather high cost only have a hull of 1/8th inch fiberglass and some wood pieces for support if any at all , ours is a lot better and stronger.
I really feel a lot safer in the one I built. It and I made it threw 4 days of some rapids which weren't suppose to be there , I still paddle it today in quiet waters.
My last commercially made canoe ( a dam good one ) had only 1/8th inch of fiberglass in the belly of it.
If a person wants the expensive wood then get a kit or after building a boat and knowing the steps , then get the better wood , you will not have a better boat , just a more expensive one but you will know how to make it.
I have several that are made out of 1/8th Luann ($9.95 a sheet) that weight from 32 pounds to 40 pounds depending on the boat that I might have $400.00 invested in if that much , not counting my time. Get one like it already made ....$2,000.00 or more.
What I guess I'm getting at is it is not the wood , it is the builders ability , the wood is only the shape or filler that we see , not the actual construction of the boat when we look at it.
Remember as simple as it is ....the boat is fiberglass and epoxy , the wood is the filling and sets the shape , Not the boat , the glass and epoxy does that. You could make one out of epoxied and glassed newspaper if you got it to hold the shape of the boat.
Then you would have something to read while out paddling and camping.
Chuck.
