Woods for small boat construction

Abstract

Although metals and plastics are becoming more prominent as hull materials in the small boat industry and in particular, mild steel in the construction of commercial craft, wood is still the most important material used in the construction of yachts, pleasure craft and smaller work boats. It is the purpose of this paper to give a general outline of the common shipbuilding woods and their properties, and to point out some of the important but lesser known facts about these woods. It is also intended to point out relatively little known sources of information about wood and its uses. For the purpose of discussion, the woods are divided into four groups: The hardwoods, the soft woods, tropical hardwoods and the lesser known tropical woods.