Plywood Choice Input Needed

I'm on the fence about plywood choice for Tanenui build.

I've been going back and forth on this in my head about this for a while now and could really use some input.

The Tanenui takes 34 sheets of 9mm plywood.

My main concern is the weight difference between Okoume at 30 lbs vs Aquatek Meranti at 38 lbs per sheet. That's a 272 lb difference. While the price difference is almost $900.

On the positive side the Meranti is tougher, stronger, harder and I prefer the color better for the clear finish on the interior and few things that will be finished bright using layer of glass cloth on bright finished exterior parts.
I know it isn't going to look like beautiful Philippine Mahogany bright work, but prettier than Okoume.

Wharram lists the Tanenui weight as 2200 lbs and I understand that's pretty well a bare basic boat, no anchor or any gear to speak of, so will be heavier in real life, and carries a 2200 lb load.

Some of the earlier Classic style boats a lot of people used Fir plywood. So don't know if the 2200 lb weight is based on Fir ply or not. I asked Hanneke, but she didn't know.

If the empty weight is based on Fir plywood then the weight gain from the 2200 lb spec with using Meranti would be 170 lbs. If the 33 lbs weight of marine Fir ply of I saw is correct.

Of course there will be some waste plywood so the actual weight difference won't actually be either the 272 or 170 lbs.

It's a heavy duty built boat, which is part of the reason for choosing her. I kinda want a bit of a tank for around here! lol

I'd save some money, but would always be carrying around the extra weight.
If there were other benefits from the using the heavier Meranti ply that would help make it worth it.

So, what do you guys think?

If I understand it correctly, I'd be gaining some strength, a little better puncture resistance, it's stiffer and not as soft as Okoume and would look a little nicer.

Adding 150-200 lbs of weight about kills me! But if there some strength benefits that makes a difference.

Cheers, Allen

 

save the money and stop worrying about it. Likely you will never even think about it once it is in the water. Make the decision and do not look back.

You might carry a bit more sail if you are worried about the extra weight, or look for areas to save weight (most boats have lots of little areas where you can save weight bit by bit without affecting strength), to mitigate the extra weight gained. Also consider the extra weight will give you a more comfortable ride in the open ocean, and there will be many times you will appreciate the extra strength. Also consider, you can spend that $900 on other important equipment you will need for the boat.

Good luck.