Leeboard core material choice

[skaraborgcraft]

I used a plywood leeboard on mine.

It had 3 coats of epoxy, with the leading edge and bottom faired with some hard filler, no cloth. Its lighter than a foam board with enough fabric to make it strong/stiff enough. Pallet wood ripped into strips would work, just more glueing to be done.

 

[Rumars]

Thanks Rumars, this is looking like the best option. I also have to make a brace/bracket to attach the leeboard to the canoe on either the carrying yoke/thwart, or to the gunwhales, or a combination of both. Would I be correct in ruining that I'll need a hardwood for that too? The thwarts on the canoe are made from Ash, so I could maybe use the same?

Ash is traditional for canoes, so yes it will work fine. As will any other hardwood you can find. If you use softwood you just need to use more of it to get the same strength. A good source of hardware store ash are tool handles (axe, pickaxe, shovel, etc.). Hardware stores also sell handrails and dovel sections made from nice knotless oak, beech, etc.

 

[wet feet]

My preference is to use a hardwood leading edge and trailing edge,together with a section at the point of greatest thickness.The infill can be cedar,spruce or just about any other easily available and knot free wood.The glass sheathing makes it much stiffer and more durable,which justifies the tedious job of fairing the glass.Plywood might work on a boat with so little righting moment but I have personally broken a couple of centreboards on racing dinghies and witnessed the destruction of eight or nine others.They all failed at the keel line.

 

[skaraborgcraft]

A strip of carbon either side of the blade would certainly help, but you are correct, on a sail canoe with very little righting moment, plywood has proven to work just fine. Your comment about mixing hard and softwood, would be optimum.