using IPE instead of teak

[fishweed]

here are some before and after pictures of the boat

[fishweed]

Carioca,

I attached some pictures of the boat, so you could see the bend I would have to make

[Carioca]

Fishweed,

Frankly, the amount of bending required for your rub-rail is going to pose NO PROBLEM AT ALL and Ipê will honourably stand by you for this application.

BTW, this assumes that you are not an engineer by profession !

For it is widely held that engineers love to solve problems and if no problems are available, they are pretty capable to invent problems for the very same reason !!

[fishweed]

Thanks for the info, I am no engineer, First I want a wood that is durable, second it has to be in ready supply, and the info I have gotten from you will help alot, I am a novice wood worker, I am much better with steel and fiberglass, you have been a very big help...by the way Ipe wood is getting so popular in the Southern U.S. I think the prices will be up on this wood in a year or two


Mark

[Carioca]

I am glad that I was of some use.

We must be exporting so much Ipê that it´s price has sky-rocketed 5-fold over the last 5 years. Rough-sawn boards currently sell at the rate of US $1000 (a grand) per cubic metre. So make the most of it before word is out !

In 2004 I replanked the bottom of my 44-year old, 35-footer from amidships to the transom with (standard) Ipê flooring boards and refastened the remaining cedar planks that were in good condition. The Ipê section feels really solid !

BTW, how do I post pics on this Forum ? Simply down-load from my HD or via an image-services outfit (Sony Imagestation etc) ?

[fishweed]

When you want to submit a post with pictures, you cannot use the quick post, used the normal or advanced, the post box with fonts, and mircosoft word like buttons, you will see the paperclip in the center of the page, press that and you can upload pictures from the hard drive or you can use a service with your URL


Mark

[Carioca]

Tom,

Sorry for the delay ....here are the findings:

1. An Ipê deck will be warmer than a teak one, and darker if left to weather after application of standard teak-weathering product (can´t recall the name); this said, no restrictions for it´s use in the tropics aside from quite imperceptible seasonal movement

2. If the Ipê is to be installed over an epoxied-ply-deck substrate, use epoxy to glue it down; if the ply-substrate is not epoxied, or the Ipê is to fixed with screws over deck beams, Polyurethane sealant (Sikaflex etc) PLUS interlocking planks are the preferred solution.

You may apply teak-weathering product over the bared Ipê surface in both cases. Ipê has closed grain, literally impervious to water, so forget the need to "seal the wood all around for an epoxy-job and/or to avoid leaks"

3. IRRESPECTIVE of the particular method of adhesion suggested in 2 above, the ACETONE-TORCH TREATMENT IS A MUST; have two people do this job, one wiping down and moving off , while the other sets the wood stock alight. ATTENTION ! DANGER ! ACETONE IS VERY, VERY VOLATILE !

Finally, the fore/aft decks I had spotted on schooner-type craft moored at the Club are NOT IPÊ ..........they are made from look-alike-teak ( Freijó ). Sorry !

Nevertheless, shall post pictures of both type of deck not long from now....

[Man Overboard]

Carioca,
Thanks much for going out of your way to get this information. As mentioned earlier, we are starting to be able to get Ipe here in the states, but not much detailed info is availably for its use as a boat building material.

As for the acetone torch method, you are right in giving careful warning; I might add, you should keep the cap on the can of acetone as the flame can flash back to the can and explode. Acetone vapor is heavier than air, so you might not even realize the thick concentration of fumes that are collecting along the ground.

[Carioca]

Tom,

I have some rather encouraging pics of an Ipê deck on a new 50-60 ft (all-Ipê) trawler.

Am migrating them to my PC....and will post them on this thread shortly...

[Carioca]

On the right, Mr. Maranhão, experienced (wooden) boatwright in Rio de Janeiro, currently undertaking a major restoration on this 60 ft, Argentinian built motor-cruiser:

In the distance, MALEVO, an all-Ipê 50-60 ft trawler, built in Itajaí, State of Santa Catarina.

A pic of the bow-area Ipê deck taken from the Club tender

Some more pics of the Ipê deck, looking fore and aft, plus close ups.

The darker wood is VARNISHED Ipê

[Man Overboard]

Carioca,

Thanks for the pictures, I think when it comes time to build, I am going to experiment with Ipe. There are various places where I am sure I will use it. I need to be careful not to get to much weight on deck, even so, there are some places that just make since to use Ipe. I do like the deck, it would wear far better than teak. I would have to use it as a veneer, but I don't think that would be a problem. Thanks again for going out of your way to get info.

[Carioca]

Tom,
I need to retribute the enormous amount of help afforded me by Boating Forums !

I also saw an Ipê deck on the Club´s ferry that shows signs of sore negelect. Does not look anywhere as nice as the one on Malev, but is still perfectly operational, no leaks etc. !

[nero]

For those of you in the US midwest, Texas to Wisconsin, there is a Osage Orange. This wood is dense, rot resistant, and looks like a aged cherry or tropical wood after a oil finish. It is very hard, and cuts and sands well. Doesn't plain smoothly with a straight knived plainer. It is very stable and an excellent wood.

When left exposed to air, it turns a silver color ... with time. Bonding can be a problem ... just like ipe and teak.

You may be able to have standing timber for free. The limbs have thorns, but boots and gloves are suitable protection against it. It grows from Texas to Wisconsin. Illinois has a bunch of it. Grain producers are bulldozing the hedgerows and burning the trees on place.

[Carioca]

Nero,

Thanks for the tip !

My experience on Boating Forums suggests that the US has a plethora of wood types and rather (comparatively) plentiful too, be these from native forests or reflorested areas, unlike, say, Europe.