JEM Watercraft

I'm contemplating the Touring Pirogue or TouringPirogueT as my first project. We'll see from there as to what, if anything, I build from there.

I've read the various comments on luan but nothing really concrete came out of my reading. I read use it, but don't expect the 4-5 years our of the canoe. Others say they've used nothing but luan with excellent results.

I know it's cheaper and for this first project I'm trying to keep myself on a budget since I tend to do just the opposite when or if this turns out to be something that I fall in love with.

I'm looking at the 5.2mm stuff at Lowes. But what is the bottom line on luan. Safe to use? Need more glass?

Thank you

I've used it. It's a little bit of a bugger to work with. Have to pick through the pile to get sheets.

Definitely apply fiberglass inside and out and not just taping the seams.

What am I looking to avoid when picking out the luan?

When I was checking it out the other day the first five sheets looked pretty 'clean' to me on either side.

Sounds like it's time to order some plans...

not Touring Pirogue or Touring PirogueT??

How much more difficult is the TPT than the TP??

H

I've made 7 boats with the Luann and the 1st one is almost 9 years old and in as good of shape as the day it was made. The others have been used and look the same as the 1st one I made.

As Matt said , pick threw the wood , get what looks good to you and use it.
The thing that keeps it in new condition for the boat is a good epoxy saturation so the wood is epoxy impregnated and then the glass sealing it all the way around.

Think of it this way ... The wood is the filling in the sandwich , the glass is the bread on each side of the filling. What protects the sandwiches filling , the bread. Plus it strenghtins the sandwich so you can pick it up to enjoy it.

Plain and simple , the wood makes the shape and character and some of the strength of the boat , the glass gives it the real strength and protection.

Chuck.

Hunter,

To show the other side of the coin, I'll give you this. There is a reason luan is cheaper; it has less quality. A skilled sorter and skilled builder can get around most of the problems this inferior quality presents. But, some very skilled builders have grown tired of having to compensate for poor quality.

Voids are present in luan - hollow spots in between layers of the plywood. Since these can occur anywhere in the sheet, you don't know where they are. Often, a skilled eye and hand can locate them. You can then fill the voids with thickened epoxy. Now, however, that spot is not flexible like the surrounding wood.

If you cut a panel from the luan, and a void is in it, the panel will bend more readily at the void - and possibly split or break. If the void is filled it is then stiff and will not bend like the neighboring wood.

There are also plugs in luan. These are oval shaped plug-ins where the manufacturer cut out some kind of a blemish or weak spot, and installed a ;plug to fill the gap. These plugs, if on an area of tight bending to achieve a hull curvature, can pop out and ruin the panel.

I'm an intermediate builder, and I don't want to bother with all the mess of sorting, filling, cutting, etc. to get around a cheap product. I use only Okoume mahogany plywood, AA finish, now designated as 1088. It costs much more than luan, and is worth it to me.

I don't want to be out in the middle of the lake riding on cheap wood. To me, that's like climbing tall poles using a safety belt bought used at a yard sale to save a few bucks. Wrong place to economize.

Not all builders agree with me on this, but the smart, debonair, good looking ones do.

Voids in between plies is the biggest thing to look for. Take a powerful flashlight, turn it on, and press directly against the ply. Look on the other side for voids. Sort of a poor-mans x-ray.

You can avoid worrying about this by using quality plywood. But if you have to use lesser ply, then that's the way to find the best quality.

Besides that, look for good surface finish on both sides and be sure it's exterior grade (look for dark glue lines).

It will work
Easy Jack and Matt
Ill shut up
Ron

hunter wrote: Touring Pirogue or Touring PirogueT??

How much more difficult is the TPT than the TP??

I built the Touring Pirogue T as my first build and am glad that I did. It will be somewhat more difficult with more panels and glassing the inside of the ends is a pain, but the tumblehome panels are easy to reach over and I think that it is a very good looking boat. I have paddled it quite a bit the last two weeks and really like it.
I have not used the luan. I used some fairly inexpensive exterior okoume for the pirogue. It didn't have any voids, but did have very thin outer layers. I spent much more for the BS 1088 stuff for the Southwind 15-30 that I'm just getting started on.

Jimmy

I started to not get in on this but I can't help myself. I built a Swamp Girl and used the 5.2 stuff from Lowe's. I picked through the stack and found enough sheets that had no visible defects that I could see. I took them home, and like Matt said, I used a very good flashlight to shine through the panel, (in a dark garage). There was only 1 void in the 4 sheets I bought, and it was only about the size of a quarter. I found no voids in the sheets I cut. The problem I had with this plywood was the face plies. It had 3 pretty even thickness plies and 2 face plies that were about the thickness of a coat of paint. Everywhere I sanded the plywood, it cut through this face ply. Since I painted this boat, it was not a problem. If I wanted to finish the boat natural, it would have been a serious problem. This material will make a very good boat structurally. The appearace will be the only problem. I have no doubt the boat I built is every bit as good structurally and will last as long as the same boat built from expensive okoume.

I am currently building two boats from French made BS 1088 marine grade okoume. Counting the cost of going to LA to get this plywood, (4 hours each way)it cost me about $85.00 per sheet. (average for 4 sheets 4mm, and 2 sheets 6mm).This is pretty close to the same price it would have cost delivered to my house. This is pretty good plywood, but it is still just plywood. One sheet had surface cracks I missed when picking it out, and I found 2 small voids when I cut the panels. Not supposed to be voids in 1088. Actually more voids than with the cheap stuff from Lowe's. In my humble opinion, it is not worth the cost. I will not use it again. I bought 6 sheets of the 5.2mm stuff at Lowe's yesterday for my next project. It has some of the most impressive grain I have ever seen in cheap or expensive plywood.. This is Chinese plywood, and I have no idea what it actually is, but is not bad material. I think the 5.2 mm luan designation from Lowe's is kind of generic. It is applied to whatever they buy cheap this month. The 6 sheets I just bought is not the same stuff as what I built the Swamp Girl from. I will just have to see if it is as good structurally. I have not checked it for voids yet. You can buy a lot of this stuff for what one sheet of BS 1088 costs. Only you can decide if it is a good deal. For me, it is a good deal.

Quality is remembered long after cost is forgotten.

DM