RE: Okume - There certainly are different grades, and I think there's also some variation of quality within grades. The usually recommended "best grade" is BS 1088, but even within that category, quality can differ significantly. The best okume I've had came from CLC. With the boat I'm currently completing I deliberately ordered a lower grade of ply, and it has worked fine. The differences are that (1) the veneer on the lower grades is a hairline thinner and (2) on the lower grades, there's a "better side" and a side that's not quite as smooth. That "not-so-good" side has a slightly wavy surface, which sometimes isn't even noticeable until you sand the surface. All those differences mean, when building a kayak, is that (1)you have to be a shade more careful when sanding, not to cut through the outer veneer, and that (2)you have to be careful, when cutting out your panels, to put the two **good** sides together, so they'll be the outside of the boat. If you're going to varnish the boat, however, and you have 1/2 of it with the "good" side showing and the other half with the lesser side (as I almost did once) it will make a cosmetic difference. OTOH, despite what what was written in a recent Sae Kayaker article, the lower grade okume will bend every bit as well as the "good stuff". And if you're going to paint the hull, or if you're going to glass the outside, even that little bit about putting the two "good" sides together becomes unimportant. Bill Hansen *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Mar 09 2000 - 04:53:59 PST
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