care of afrormosia

[knothead]

Originally Posted by rrgane

I am replacing the combing in my cockpit which was teak. after checking the price of teak i realized it was not a realistic option, and looked into alternatives. what i found in teak subsitutes were: afrormosia and iroko, and i also considered meranti and the more typical mahoganies.

well to make a short story shorter, all the i could find in the dimensions i needed was afrormosia, which is just as well as it is really pretty wood (the prettiest by far that i considered; and to my mind, equal to if not more attractive then teak itself).

even though afrormosia is quite often called 'african teak' it is not teak, and i am wondering what finishes i can use. the hardwood store suggested teak oil, which is probably what i will do, but i was wondering if it can be left natural as teak often is. i know that it will not 'go white' as teak does, and that's okay, but i fear if left natural might rot in the marine environment.

anyone have any experience with finishing this wood? it is also oft times called 'poor man's teak'.

If you have a little time, you could make a test piece. Trying out different finishes and subjecting them to various stress tests.
It seems that you could learn a lot about the properties of the wood just by some sampling.
I'm not sure that is a practical idea though. Just a thought.

Steve

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by LakeEscape

Look for a wood called Cumara. Also known as Brazilian Teak. Often used for decking as a substitute for Ipe. Has the look and workability of teak at a fraction of the cost. Here is a link, or Google Cumara.

I have used that as well. The major differences between it an teak:

Cumara has a wider / knottier like grain than teak, though similar in appearance in color as teak. Its a wonderful wood in that aspect but can not be used to replace teak segments in a already teak built structure unless you use it as accent pieces.

Its much harder than teak, and will not offer the same grip that teak does if used for flooring unless it is roughly sanded. Due to hardness compared to teak - wear areas if used as flooring / decking become smooth quickly.

Thats been my experience with this particular wood. Its a great alternative for tables and such and truly is more exotic than teak when all glossed up...but not so ideal for replacing decking, using as flooring, or in areas where you want replace teak segments...

[LakeEscape]

Good point. I use it just like you mention, for furniture pieces. I thought it would be a good match for his combing needs. Yes it is hard, but you can glue it up nicely and the finish is outstanding.

Another wood I like is Brazilian Cherry as a Mohogany substitute. Great color, glues up nicely and loves Cetol. Heavy.

LakeEscape

[Whampoa]

Evening rrgane,

Just happened across your post. Years ago, in a wooden boat shop I worked at in Florida, we used afromosia for on deck items such as coamings, handrails and companionway slides. It takes a finish nicely and is quite durable in exterior applications. It is a beautiful wood for interior work as well. We used spar varnish like Interlux Schooner.

At one sponsor's request, we did his cockpit sole with it and he let it go to gray. It weathered out very similar to teak. I saw the boat last year after 20 yrs and it still looks good. Of course he has cared for it.

How did you decide to finish your coamings? Here is a link that might be helpful.

Wood Species - Afromosia

Good luck, John

[GBurton]

I have just bought some Afromosia for drop boards and cockpit trim. I plan to Cetol it according to the Cetol instructions...with natural teak Cetol.

[rrgane]

Originally Posted by Whampoa

Evening rrgane,

Just happened across your post. Years ago, in a wooden boat shop I worked at in Florida, we used afromosia for on deck items such as coamings, handrails and companionway slides. It takes a finish nicely and is quite durable in exterior applications. It is a beautiful wood for interior work as well. We used spar varnish like Interlux Schooner.

At one sponsor's request, we did his cockpit sole with it and he let it go to gray. It weathered out very similar to teak. I saw the boat last year after 20 yrs and it still looks good. Of course he has cared for it.

How did you decide to finish your coamings? Here is a link that might be helpful.

Wood Species - Afromosia

Good luck, John

Hi John..

thanks for the reply! i did finally get the combing in and being that i had to flex the boards considerably i put Cetol on both the face and back of the boards, and figured varnish or varithane might crack.

they look spectacular..

i was hoping to let it go natural, but am happy now i didn't as a few stray pieces i kept turned very dark..