meranti for sawn frames?

[byankee]

Any thought about the suitability of dark red meranti (AKA Phillipine Mahogany) for use as sawn frames, stem and chine material in a traditionally builit (i.e. copper fastened, solid wood lapstrake - no epoxy, no plywood) skiff?

[Ilan Voyager]

Originally Posted by byankee

Any thought about the suitability of dark red meranti (AKA Phillipine Mahogany) for use as sawn frames, stem and chine material in a traditionally builit (i.e. copper fastened, solid wood lapstrake - no epoxy, no plywood) skiff?

It seems that nobody wanted to answer to you: dark red meranti is suitable for your uses. In Philippina it is common wood. You can use also Light red meranti wich has a better ration strength weigth if I remember well.

[BIG MAC]

Originally Posted by byankee

Any thought about the suitability of dark red meranti (AKA Phillipine Mahogany) for use as sawn frames, stem and chine material in a traditionally builit (i.e. copper fastened, solid wood lapstrake - no epoxy, no plywood) skiff?

Meranti and Luan are both inferior to true honduras and phil mahog. they have stringy course grain and are very splintery. spend a couple of more bucks and get real mahogony.

[MARLAB]

I have been building my prototype hulls in Light Meranti these last 2 years and I have to say that I should have started doing so earlier, It is a very forgiving material to work with and once epoxied is very strong even in thinner plates. My latest boat for example is a 19 foot catamaran power boat for remote control and uses sawn Meranti bulkheads (with a jig saw) 15mm thick and a skin only 6mm thick. So go ahead with either light or dark Meranti, you won't be disappointed if you treat the material with respect.

Gerry

[pungolee]

I would use white oak or locust or longleaf pine or true hackamatack stump wood for the stem,you dont need no light stuff here.Make it tough as possible,the rest will take care of itself.

[nero]

Does anyone have a source for Light Red Meranti and Dark Red Meranti in the U.S.? I would like 3,000 bd ft of LRM at a cheap price.

Thanks