Australian substitute timbers??

[Col Sto]

Hello everyone,

Looking for some fellow aussies to give me some guidance in finding a cost effective substitute for African Mahogany for the structural elements of a Glen L Ski King I'm building.

Cheapest option is MGP15 but its a softwood and I think it's a no go. Saying that I've seen a lot of people (in Australia) using it on youtube but as a builder I don't know if its a great idea putting pine in the water (even if its covered in epoxy).

Should I just be looking at weight and durability or all the factors as a whole? I've attached a table I made up.

Cheers Boys!

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Your typical local marine ply in Australia is made from Hoop Pine. MGP15 is Radiata (Monterey) Pine. You'd probably struggle to get Hoop Pine in Melbourne, it being a more northern species. Can you get treated Radiata, that might be OK ?

 

[Col Sto]

I can ask Hyne to treat it with a H4 treatment when ordering it, they charge by batch so I would have to get the whole cutting/material list together first. Still a whole lot cheaper than using the African Mahogany or American Oak.

I wonder if the treatment would affect the epoxy bonding.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Good idea to check about the effect of treatments on the epoxy bond.

 

[waikikin]

Out of your list the Meranti or some Qld maple, easiest available to substitute is the Merbau/Kwila but an ethical issue as bleeds red(Orangutan blood), then is the Rose gum a trendy name for Flooded gum- favoured for planking on some carvel builds back in the day as less dense than most other Aus hardwoods. I thought Coachwood might be a struggle to get but one of our suppliers lists as readily available. Another that might be available is PNG Rosewood. Give Timbers Sydney | Anagote Timbers, Marrickville http://anagote.com/timbers-sydney/ these people a call or there may be a similar supplier closer to home.

Jeff

 

[Mr Efficiency]

That's interesting about the Rose/Flooded Gum, I recall an old uncle who was in the sawmilling game telling me of an "expedition" they did in the 1930's to recover some big timber of that species that was about to be flooded by the construction of the Somerset Dam on the upper Brisbane River, it was milled up there and lengths up to 90 feet long used in boat building, not sure by whom, but obviously some quite large vessels.

 

[rwatson]

In Melbourne, I would go to the local hardware shops and look at "Oak" (Eucalyptus) and go through the "Tassie Oak" building studs.
There will be a mix of species, but you may find some lighter studs that are clear-grained, that will be a good substitute for Mahogany.