Australian Lumber

[RiverHorse]

As anything other than plantation timber is getting harder to get and I would like an Australian theme to my boat I was wondering if any of the more knowledgeable boat builders can suggest some local timber to use.

My plans ask for Oak, Mahogany, White ash and White cedar. What I would like to know is what local equivalents would be appropriate for each of the different parts, keel, stem, frames etc.
Is there a book, a web site or company that sepecialises in this, all help is appreciated.

[Dean Smith]

i wonder, can you list what these timbers were for, oak? framing and furniture, mahog, finishing as white ash
see this here, it is called macrocarpa, we use it for framing units in the boat but here in this pic the owner who had milled 100, cu/m off his farm used it for lining the boat. It is very light, very lovely and does not need treating
youi MAY have it in Au?

[RiverHorse]

Keel of Oak, mahogany
Stem of Oak
Frames of Oak, White ash
Sides, bottom, deck of Mahogany, White ash

[whitepointer23]

if you can still find it a lot of builders used spotted gum, karri, jarrah, sheoak , redgum and there are a lot more plus the magnificent huon pine , whether you can still get enough of these materials to build a boat is the big question.

[Dean Smith]

N.A white oak is readfily available in Au and NZ as is mahogony, Honduras being best
However there are many hardwoods from the Pacific that really are great NA white oak often dries with shakes and splits and never stops moving as does all oak. My grandfather told my dad this, he had great stacks Eng oak in his yard. Many of the pacific hardwoods are fault free. Iroko and others replacing teak. You will pay less too
Last boat I built interior was oak, step stringers were 12 inches x inch and they cupped. By and large I was happy with it

[rwatson]

What part of Australia are you in ?

White Oak is not a native Australian timber. Celery Top Pine is still affordable, and a great timber for boat hulls. King Billy Pine is a lot cheaper than Huon Pine, but just as nice for the interior.

If you select "Swamp Gum" properly, its a great framing and keel timber. Strong, light and rot resistant.

Karri and Jarra are good exposed timber, but very heavy .