Plywood Power Catamaran Scantlings

Yes I know Bob is no longer designing. Nor is Malcolm as he died a few years ago. But their successful powercats still exist

RW

 

Derek Kelsall is still going strong. He mostly does glass now, but plywood was a big thing for him

http://www.kelsall.com/

 

Great thought. If you need custominzed marine plywoods, I can help. I have my own factory to design and manufature plywood to special requirements.

 

I heartily agree but if you're going to build the boat in Brazil, and if you have nor a certified marine plywood producer you are going to suffer.
The importation of the plywood will be an expensive pain. I do not say maybe, I say will be. You'll be surprised badly.
Marine certified plywood producers are not many now. Forget those made in USA, the quality is poor.
All the good marine plywoods are produced far far away from Brazil and the States. Let's say you are looking in Europe, you have to find a totally reliable seller with the honesty of a quaker, as he is 12000 km away.
You have for example Toubois in France. Toubois is reliable, he won't send you the crap of his warehouse, and won't send the plywood for crates as marine plywood...
I do not joke, that happened to a guy in Cancún Mexico who bought plywood in the States. He received a pile of firewood.
At the price of the plywood, you must add the crating. As you have not enough plywood to fill a 20 feet container, or you can't afford to rent such a container for so few sheets of plywood, you have to find a transporter with a consolidated container from Europe to Brazil.
Better spend in a very good and very expensive crate or your precious plywood will arrive with plenty of knocks and crushed parts.
So we have plywood+crating+transportation from Toubois to the French or Belgian or Dutch harbour+transportation to Brazil+customs+customs agent fees+financial costs (converting cruzeiros to euros, banks etc.etc...). We must add also the bureaucratic problems so common in third world countries, which are generally solved with several portraits of Benjamin Franklin printed on green paper.
All that for the plywood of one boat...Or you decide to become an importer and you fill the container. That depends on how much money you have...
Or you have a supplier in Brazil, more honest than an Quaker and as virtuous as an Amish. With very good prices...
I talk from experience, I made calculations and it was economically impossible to import plywood to Mexico, besides the bureaucratic problems.
So I ended building the boat in strip plank with an excellent local cedar, legally cut and with "factura". No one piece of plywood.
The epoxy and fibres were imported from Miami with some lengthy difficulties at the arrival with the customs.
Happily I had the help of a Mexican friend, officer in the Mexican navy, who had the extreme amiability to pick up the items with a military truck and three gentle marines in uniform fully armed plus the drug sniffer dog (a sweet animal) who needed a walk.
The customs guys became suddenly very comprehensive about my customs papers but looked very nervous when the dog began to sniff them. They charged themselves the truck in less than five minutes. i guess that they had a strong desire to see us walking away. Probably they had to change the pants.
I never laughed so much and I offered a very good and joyous meal in a traditional Yucatecan restaurant to the navy guys including the dog.