Plywood for a fat guy?

Tom H.

Tom H.

Member
OK, I am trying to locate some marine ply close to me. I can only find 3/4". I can order 1/2 from Menards. They are $50 per 4x8 sheet. I am thinking this is going to be too much for the bottom. What I am going for is a light weight fishing boat.

What I am concerned with is the strength of the bottom. I was thinking of using 1/4" and glassing the bottom and the inside. It is going to have runners on the bottom so that should add strength. I am probably going to just use AC exterior ply. If I go that route, I am thinking 3/8"

This is my old boat before I added sponsons to the rear for more flotation.
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What I want to do is make the top flat, but make the inside opening the same size as the hull. The front deck will be just big enough to hold a bow mount t-motor. I have one of the electric steer ones. I will be fishing from the back.

Any thoughts before I start?
 
Tom~

Beautiful boat!

I'm pretty sure 3/8 will be fine for your bottom. The risk with AC - compared with Marine - is that AC is permitted to have voids in the interior plies. So, there may be some weak spots - this is especially worrisome in the way of any fasteners. On the other hand, my local lumber yard (family-owned) carries very high quality plywood so I am very comfortable using their AC for hulls, etc.

I look forward to the photos of your new craft!

SJS
 
I agree with Steve. AC ply should be fine. I had an old Owens 28' cruiser that I replaced the ply bottom on years ago. Couldn't get marine ply locally at the time so I used AC ply. Sold the boat long ago, but it's new owner is still using it and it is leak free and solid. I've also built a few small boats with exterior grade ply and have never had an issue. I did encapsulate with glass/epoxy however.
 
It's been a while since I built a boat, but I've always gotten my plywood from Noah's. I'm for using the best materials available as your labor is the most expensive element of your boat, but the materials may determine it's longevity and quality.

http://www.noahsmarine.com/United_States/Plywoods-us/plywoods-us.html

Ed.
 
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