C-Forum

Hi all. I may be replacing the gunwales on a 13 footer and thought that I might ask here about other woods to use for gunwales besides ash. I doubt that there are any 12 foot lengths of clear ash within a day's drive.

I suspect that the only long hardwoods around here are used for decking. I'm thinking about using ipe. It tends to twist, but I think that this could be managed. I've also known of people using plastic composition decking, but that was for a flatwater boat, and even then I'm not sure how it worked out.

There has been a thread in a FaceBook group on this very topic - White Oak has been suggested. Apparently very favorable in the strength, rot resistance, and weight departments as well as readily available in longer pieces. One participant said he has used it on an ME (15'+) and it's worked out well. I'm considering it for some upcoming projects.

I've used white oak and prefer it over ash myself. It seems to hold up longer than my ash ones have. I know some have worried about splinters/slivers but I haven't ever had a problem. It does weigh slightly more. I also like walnut.
I think the Brazilian walnut (ipe) would work fine...harder to work and heavier, but it's very very rot resistant.

Yeah, I was thinking about ipe because of its rot resistance. It tends to split when nailed, but I'm not sure whether that means that it will split when bent. Of course, white oak would work well. There are good reasons that it has been used for centuries in shipbuilding.

I guess it's time to call the lumberyards....

Ipe, AKA Iron Wood, is VERY tough and nasty to work with. Wear a full hazmat suit because it's FULL of toxic resins and the dust makes your skin red and itchy and makes your eyes burn for days..
That makes it good for decking, but it sure does not behave well, glue well or hold finishes at all.

it also is always sold as dry, but never acually is...

I used sassafras. It smells like root beer when you router the edges. It's very pretty when teak oiled. It's also pretty rot resistant. We found it at the Zenith Sawmill near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.

You might consider,

Doug fir, if you can find some straight grain. Yes, Doug Fir.

I know, people will throw rocks at me. However, I used Doug-fir to replace some gunnels on an old boat because it was easy to find and really cheap. I wasn't expecting it to last, but it did just fine for 3 years. The gunnel will wear a bit faster, but Doug Fir is pretty tough for a softwood. I recommend making the out-wall just a tad thicker than normal. Its also VERY easy to bend and shape. I now use it to replace all the gunnels on my wood gunnel boats when they need it, and I put some on my prototype boat. Total cost for the wood the last time I did it? $7.50. So what if they only last two or three seasons? Its cheap and easy, and they look just fine.

Good luck,

Rob

Some photos of my seven dolla'fitty'cent gunnels

Really like the name of your ride

Just now actually read your name, care to expound?

'Valhalla Long Boats' is the name of the company I'm starting. That particular boat is called 'beowulf' (before any lit majors bother to tell me, I am aware Beowulf is not actually a figure in Norse mythology). I am hoping to get Bill Cross to paddle it and write the on-water review for it this spring. He wants to paddle it, I assume it will cost me beer to get him to write the review. I'm also hoping to build a mold from the prototype this spring, and then I'll be selling them...assuming anyone still wants high-performance canoes in the 13 foot range...perhaps a large leap of faith. I am in the middle of designing an 11-foot version of the boat that will either be called Loki...or perhaps Achilles (again, Lit Majors need not pester me about this).

Rob

Genuine Mahogany is commonly used in boat building. It's wonderful to work with and very pretty.
Not too soft, not too hard , not too heavy, and (last time I bought it) not too expensive. It's juusst right. Don't know about your location, but it's easy to get around here.

I, too, have had excellent results with Doug-Fir. I started to use it when I lived in a place where I could not find long clear hardwood boards. I bought long D-F T&G flooring at the darn Home Depot. I have at least one >10 year old boat with the original D-F rails.

I cut them a full 3/4" x 3/4". Even now that I live in the land of white ash, I am likely to use D-F. To make an ash rail as light as a D-F piece, the ash has to be milled to Kaz-size dimensions; that generally over-taxes my craftsmanship. 3/4 x 3/4 gives plenty of wiggle room.

Also, note that many people use soft wood on the inside and hardwood out.

I have had fine results from both white and red oak.

On my list of stuff to do is track down some green, rough cut, clear white spruce boards. I think I'd like to try spruce rails.

Roy

Nice boat, Rob!

Doug Fir

Then it's safe to say that I'm overthinking things again.

I tend to think of Southern Pine when softwoods are mentioned, but Doug Fir is a tighter grain and is a lot less likely to split. Clearly it works, and wood selection may not be as big of a deal as I originally thought.

This is for an old Howler that hasn't been used in a while and that I may get to play around with on a local slalom course. My guess is that any straight grained wood will work.