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Woods Used in Boat Building

Teak - Teak grows in the dry topical forest such as those found in Burma. Next to mahogany, it is the most valuable timber used for the trim, transoms and decking of boats. It has a straight grain, is easily worked and takes a high polish. It can be left unfinished and bleached or finished with varnish.

Mahogany - Mahogany grows in the West Indies, Central and South America and Africa. The tree requires about 200 years to reach maturity, reaching a height of 100 feet with a diameter of 6 to 12 feet. The heartwood is heavy, hard, close and straight in grain and takes a very high polish. It is used for trim and planking hulls, transoms, decks and cabin sides. It is usually finished with a stain and varnish.

Oak - Oak is native to the temperate and tropical regions of the northern hemisphere. The trees grow between 50 to 100 or even 1500 feet in height and 4 to 8 feet in diameter. Oak is strong, durable, hard, elastic and resistant to moisture. It has been used in shipbuilding since the ninth century. The White oak is the most important species. Oak is used for framing, stringers, deck beams, ribs and rub rails in boat construction.

Cedar - Cedar is a valuable timber, light in weight, durable and easily worked. White cedar is found in swampy ground along the Atlantic seaboard, locally in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. It grows to a height of 40 to 80 feet and is commonly used in boat building for hull planking and, sometime, decks.

Douglas Fir - Fir grows in the northeastern United States and Canada. It is a pick colored wood that is strong, has a straight grain, is durable and can be worked with moderate effort. Fir is commonly used in boat building for stringers, deck beams, hull framing, spars and masts.

Pine - Southern Yellow pine grows in the southeastern states of North and South Carolina and Georgia. It is considered a hard pine wood; heavy and dark in color. When well seasoned, pine is not subject to attacks of boring insects. Southern Yellow pine is used for spars and masts, framing and hull planking.