Re: Ches 17.

Posted by CLC on Feb 17, 2007

>>>>>>>>Has anyone ever put a strip deck on a Chespeake 17. Plus, how about using lauan plywood. I have been building strip boats primarily because I cannot get marine plywood without paying an arm and leg for it (plus shipping). My brother gave me the plans for a chespeake for christmas and I would like to build it. Cheers All trevor >>>>>>>>

I've seen a number of Chesapeake 17's with strip decks on them. Instructions on how to do that may be found at the link below.

I've built more lauan boats than most people. I'm not dogmatic about the whole thing but the reality is that the 1/8" lauan is a little thin for a Chesapeake 17 and the 1/4" is too thick to take the bend in the bottom panels (much less the deck). So it's as much a story about hull shape as about material quality. As for economy, it'll take an expensive amount of fiberglass and epoxy to stiffen the 1/8" lauan.

There's also a craftsmanship dimension that gets lost in the discussion. Lauan isn't especially pleasurable to work with. In the pellmell rush to get a boat on the water, the simple satisfaction of working with nice materials is worth considering. There's not much satisfaction in cooking a meal with ingredients bought at the 7-11 instead of at a good grocery store.

In Response to: Ches 17. by Trevor on Feb 14, 2007

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