I used meranti for the deck of my Ches. 17 LT.  I'll be varnishing it soon.  Pics in a week or two.  Gotta warm up just a tad.

 Kim

2 Questions:

Where are you?  I am just north west of Toronto, there is a great supply place, Noah's (http://www.noahsboatbuilding.com) that can supply you with everything you need, they also ship.

Is the Meranti that you purchased BS1088 certified?  It will be stamped on the wood.  Also read the posting re: wood under the  Tips for Boat builders on this site, some really good info.(http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/stitch_glue/wood.html)

 Hope this helps

Yes on the 1088.

http://www.marine-plywood.us/mahogany_meranti.htm

"Meranti" is a trade name for good quality lumber and plywood made from wood of various species of the Shorea genus, common in the Phillipines.  Very cheap, very low quality plywood made from Shorea wood is called "Lauan".  It is also called "doorskin".  

I think that wood we use today (okoume, from Africa) came into widespread use when Meranti got overharvested and expensive, just as meranti came into widespread use when mahogany got overharvested and expensive.  I think okoume is a little less dense than meranti, (which is good), and even worse than meranti terms of rot resistance (which we don't care about, since we soak our boats inside and out with a virtually waterproof plastic called epoxy.)

Both meranti and okoume have for years been labeled as kinds of "mahogany" by unscrupulous lumber merchants.  The former has been mislabled "Phillipine mahogany" and the latter "African mahogany". In fact, neither wood is related to mahogany (Genus Swietania), and neither has mahogany's outstanding qualities as a marine lumber.  Okuoume in particular is rated "unsuitable for marine use", in contrast to mahogany, which is one of the finest of marine woods.  But to reiterate, okoume is perfect for epoxy/glass/plywood laminate applications, because it is steadily available from plantations in long, straight-grained, knot-free pieces. 

I read up a little more on the stuff.  I see they are both improperly labeled mahogany by some respectable dealers.  I am gonna read some more later tonight. 

One thing I read, which I can confirm with what I used, is that meranti has more splinters.  I HAD to wear gloves when handling, planing, sanding...my hands were full of slivers. 

I tried it to get a different color to the deck.

I prefer okoume.

 Kim

Greetings,

So at Noah's site they list 6mm of Okoume BS1088 for $55, and 6mm of Okoume Joubert BS1088 for $75. The wood I ordered from CLC was Jouber. Aside from the price, what is the difference?

John

I think Camper's got it right except the lauan fact that it's low quality.  Lauan isn't necessarily low quality, it's just not guaranteed to be good enough for boat building.  You can find luauan that is plenty good enough to build from, it just takes a little bit of effort.

Generally speaking, if you don't consider your time worth anything, the lauan is cheaper.  If you do consider your time worth some money, then go with the higher (guaranteed) quality marine grade stuff.

FrankP

There is a trust aspect too. My neighbor voiced reluctance to venture forth in a boat I am building in my garage. I am sure that will change as he sees it progress. But his trust did go up a notch when I showed him the Joubert  stickers  on the wood, illustrating that this was not the same wood I used for building a shed.

John

PS I think my wife has teh same reservations

Old posts on another forum I stumbled across.

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59930

For me it would cost $99 for shipping.  I would pay the shipping to get okoume.

Kim

I am limited to use meranti but i am building two ducks and i would like to make them look a lil different.I am asking of other types of wood that i could use for the deck were strentgh isn t such an issue

Kardan, your post subject is canadian wood, so I'm assuming you in Canada.  I'm in the Caldon (NW of Toronto) and will be starting my first duck late this season/next season.  If you are close enough, would love to stop by for a look.  please email at: david <that at symbol> dragonsong.ca

As for you different coloured decks, you have the option of staining the wood before epoxy or tinting varnish or paint (common to paint the hull and leave the desk varnished).  Check out the finishing section in the Tips for Boat Builders on this site, particularly: http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/finishing/staining.html