[groundhog]

I need to replace the wood boards that cover my bilge.
They are located on the main hallway and get walked
over quite a bit.

I need 5/8" or 15mm thick. Im thinking sapele or mahogany
plywood.

Having a very difficult time finding this. Only need a half
sheet.

Any suggestions or suppliers?
Or can I search for another type of wood that would
widen my search? Needs to be darker as the original
was sapele I believe.

 

[Alex W]

Hardwoods are usually purchased locally and you don't list your location, so it is nearly impossible to provide assistance.

 

[Barquito]

Or, maybe something cheaper with a veneer. If you get marine grade ply, like okoume, it will be a lot more expensive than construction grade ply.

 

[kd3pc]

https://marine-plywood.us/mahogany_sapele.htm has some, but approaching $200 a sheet, and still add shipping. VEry reputable quality woods.

Depending on how DIY you are, you can get "mahogany" at Home Depot or lowes, at least in some 2' x 4' cuts. I don't think you can get it in 5/8" (homestead, link above, jumps from .5" to .75" IIRC.

You would still need to epoxy/seal the edges and finish both sides. You might think about .5" "marine" plywood, but make sure it is "marine" or cabinet grade plywood and glue a veneer or thin sheet of sapele/mahogany to it as a finished surface.

 

[Cap-Couillon]

Call a couple of your local cabinet shops... They usually have enough volume through their shop to add a few sheets of hardwood veneer "cabinet grade" (5 ply) of your choice on their order for a small premium. We used to do it for folks all the time.

"Marine Grade" Lloyds rated ply is not really necessary in your application provided you take the above advice and seal all faces and end grain with epoxy or vinyl ester (not poly ester) resin. I would suggest vinyl ester as it will provide an adequate moisture barrier, at far less cost than epoxy. There can also be some compatibility issues with epoxy and some top coats depending on the resin composition.

6mm Okoume Lloiyds rated WP/BP marine ply (used for a dink hull) cost me right at a C note per sheet at Yukon Lumber in Norfolk Va. I shudder to think of the cost of 15mm.
Go with a good 5 ply cabinet grade and seal well. Probably better than original.

 

[T37Chef]

If in the Maryland, Washington DC, Annapolis area try Exotic Lumber in Annapolis and Gaithersburg MD.

 

[j34035]

Boulters Plywood in Massachusetts. Google them for address. Good folks to work with and they will do 1/4 and 1/2 sheets.
DD

 

[WoobaGooba]

Boulters Plywood in Massachusetts. Google them for address. Good folks to work with and they will do 1/4 and 1/2 sheets.
DD

Second for Boulter. Great outfit.

 

[groundhog]

Thanks. I will give them a try.
I am in Annapolis, so I will try Exotic first when they open Monday.

 

[Slayer]

Boulters Plywood in Massachusetts. Google them for address. Good folks to work with and they will do 1/4 and 1/2 sheets.
DD

Have sailed with Fred and Chris ( father and son). Real stand up guys and they have a great business.

 

[newhaul]

Here is my recommendation however you did not state if painted covered or finished bright Teak and Holly Plywood

 

[Christian Williams]

Groundhog, have you checked with Chesapeake Light Craft? They sell a lot of ply, might be able to work something out. And they're in town.

 

[T37Chef]

Was Exotic Lumber able to help you out?

I need to replace the wood boards that cover my bilge.
They are located on the main hallway and get walked
over quite a bit.

I need 5/8" or 15mm thick. Im thinking sapele or mahogany
plywood.

Having a very difficult time finding this. Only need a half
sheet.

Any suggestions or suppliers?
Or can I search for another type of wood that would
widen my search? Needs to be darker as the original
was sapele I believe.

 

[sailordave]

Also in the MD/DC/VA area is HARBOR SALES. Used to be in Baltimore, now on the Eastern Shore. I've gotten lots of goodies from them years ago.

 

[cruisingdream]

Homestead woods in Ohio
Marine Plywood by Homestead
They ship anywhere in US or Canada

 

[stam22]

The composite teak and holly veneer 3/4", which is not real wood on the surface, is used by many new boat builders such as Jboats and Dufour. It is available through many commercial lumber suppliers. A tech at TPI, back when they used to build the Jboats, told me that the 4 x 8 sheets from France were the best quality. While at the Newport Boat Show, I asked one of the Johnstone's , and he said he preferred the composites to the real thing because they didn't discolor when they got wet, which they all do sooner or later.

 

[asdf38]

Boulters Plywood in Massachusetts. Google them for address. Good folks to work with and they will do 1/4 and 1/2 sheets.
DD

I'm thinking about stopping at Boulter today!

For what it's worth I'm planning on doing the exact same job (replacing the plywood panels in the sole) and am thinking I'll just go solid teak.

I have a tongue and groove router bit that makes joining the boards pretty easy. And it means I don't need to worry about the edges or about refinishing in the future.

It's not going to be cheap but the panels aren't that big anyway, and I'm redoing the chart table at the same time and planning on a similar technique (solid teak, joined together).

Though while I'm posting, if I go solid teak for the cabin sole panel should I varnish or not varnish it? I worry about varnished teak being too slippery for use on the sole?

In your case if you're getting lumber ordered there may be a pretty big penalty for shipping a large plywood sheet versus teak/mahogany boards. Might want to price it out. Mahogany is also usually available locally for decking, that could be used as well.

 

[asdf38]

Well to expand on what I said earlier I realized that if I'm doing solid wood I might as well think about inserting holly (or a lookalike). That lead me to this:

Teak and Holly Tongue and Groove Flooring

They sell milled tongue and groove teak and maple boards designed to fit together. Not cheap, but it should look really good and last.

 

[Aedan03]

A reasonable source for hard okoumewood lumber is KC's Custom Mouldings & Doors. They are located on Ave. K., kitty corner from Lowe's. Tony takes care of the lumber and Nick is the boss (as far as I can figure) Good Guys!
Most of the lumber they stock is S3S and flat sawn. Sometimes nice wider boards.

They may not have what you want on hand, as the slower construction business has caused them to only order smaller quantities of what they think they can sell in a timely manner. However, I've had good luck ordering from them to bring in a specific amount for a project. My last was 40 Bd, Ft. of rift sawn red oak.

 

[Hudsonian]

In the NY metropolitan area M.L. Condon Company,established in 1912, is based in Westchester County and has a large warehouse in Dutchess County, NY. They supplied the wood for some boats that I've built and more to the original point a friend replaced the sole in his salon with holly and teak plywood from them.