5 Unique Differences between Marine and other Plywood Grades
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- Are you embarking on a boat project, or frankly any project that will be outdoors or exposed to moisture and the elements. If so, you need to know the difference between the different types of plywood that is available.
In this episode, we share the specific differences between standard, exterior or Marine grade plywood. Despite what many may share with you, there is a difference. In this video, we will explain the differences and show examples so you too, can know what to choose and validate what others may tell you.
Join us on our journey as we continue to rebuild, refit and prepare our Formosa 51 Sailboat for our continued cruising journey. We have always loved the Formosa, bought one (on a bit of a whim) late in 2014, moved aboard this one right away and started to do our refit while living board. We are avid fans of Cruising Outpost and Good Ole Boat (Good Old Boat) magazines and love the ideas we get from them.
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Thanks Gil, great subject. Clears up a lot of questions. Make it a great day!!
+J B Thanks. Always making it a good day, or at least as good as it can be. Lol
Hey Gil, this is a great explanation. I’ve read so many different forums and opinions and they all seem different, but your vid explains well. Thanks!!
Thank you. I was hoping this may clear up the differences for people. I have had so many people tell me that the only difference was the glue that was used. Irony is, that is one of the few similarities :)
@Julius Keegan LOL!
I'm glad you did the video. That really clears up questions that I'm sure a lot of people have and saves us a lot of time doing research that will slow down a project. Your videos are getting really good. High quality work with good computer graphics. The little hand holding a pin was fun. 😎
+Michael Tillman Thank you very much. I really appreciate the kind words. I’d love to take credit for the Animated hand, but I got it online. I had the idea for it, does that count? :-)
Hi again, I sent off a couple of manufacturers here in the UK and got a reply from one today.
Not a lot of info, but here's what he said:
"Without going into too much detail, the difference between marine ply and exterior grade ply is 1. the type glue that is used. 2.The species of wood laminates and 3. the amount of potential voids in the boards "
So, pretty much what you said with exception of the glue - perhaps the glue penetrates the laminations more and thus gives the added moisture resistance ?
What would make an interesting experiment is to cut a piece of each the same size and thickness and leave them anchored in the sea for a few months or years, and compare how each are affected !
Thorough video, thanks for caring. Really makes me feel better about having my RV kitchen countertop made using marine plywood. Sailing is the BEST , Prost
Glad you liked it. Feel free to share it with others and consider subscribing to our channel if you are not already.
Great presentation. I own a boat and work in the building department of a home improvement store and learned a bunch. Thanks.
+John Bolongo Wow! John thank you so much for the compliment I really appreciate it and I’m glad you found it helpful and educational. That means this time I actually achieved what I was shooting for :-)
thank you for posting this video it will help me build my first scratch
Awesome. I am glad you found it useful.
Good job, just the comparison I needed to make the decision between plywood types.
Thanks Julian. I hope it was helpful.
Nice and clear description. Thanks
I am glad you like it. Thanks for the compliment. Come back and check out some of our other videos. I am hoping you like the others too.
August 2023 here. I was quoted $162.50 per sheet today of 4’x8’-3/4” thick (quantity of 8 sheets). This is in Northern Virginia.
So given every other products jump in price, that may be reasonable. (It was hard to type that but all things considered with pricing these days, that may not be too terrible)
Thank you for your perfect details
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you found it useful.
This is a very informative video. Thank you :)
Glad you like it, Thanks for watching and if you enjoy our other sailing (actually more fixing than sailing) videos, please do tell a friend that would also enjoy them.
Thanks I learned a coupel of things. I plan to use this for building speakers enclosures because of its superior strength
Glad you enjoyed it Mkay. Good luck on the speaker project.
Thanks for the video. Greetings from New Zealand.
Greetings to you too. I hope you all are safe and healthy.
This was soooooooo detailed. I'm looking to make my own desk and was looking at differences. Was looking to go for the cheaper one but this just does it! :D
+John Grajales i am glad it was able to help John. Good luck with the deck project.
I am glad it was helpful! How did the desk turn out?
Good one Gil........Thanks!
+Sailing Vessel Southern Lady Thank you so much.
I am doing a refit thanks for the video
Glad the videos are either inspiring, helpful or teach you what not to do. Lol.
Great presentation and logic.
I am glad you found it useful.
This was 3 years ago. Now June 2021. The price is $85 ext 3/4”. $218 marine grade 3/4”. Oh how times have changed.
So true! Supplies are getting crazy expensive.
Hi Gil, not sure if somebody else mentioned in the comments but the only plywood I consider true ‘marine’ plywood is that built to British standard BS1088. But it should be a Quality brand too!
‘American’ marine grade ply is made from typically souther yellow pine.
BS1088 ply uses hardwood plys , Oakume is common. True mahogany for top quality stuff. The glue is water proof but also WBP , water and boil proof , which means it can be in boiling water for I think 30 minutes with out glue failure! Impressive!
Basically you can leave BS1088 outside almost indefinitely. We had an old fiberglass open boat with 3 pieces of 3/4” marine plywood as the floor , underside , frequently soaking wet. Never failed in 30 years the family had it ! The good stuff!
Cheers Warren
I have heard that before. There are some plywood’s that can be purchased in the US that are Oakume rather than yellow pine. The stuff I purchased was Oakume but I don’t k ow of it was boil proof. That is impressive and o hope my boat never boils to find out. Lol.
Thanks. Very informative
Glad you liked it Andrew. If you are into boat refit videos and Boat DIY repairs, check out our "Yardwork" playlist where we did a major refit (of which this Marine Ply video was relevant as I rebuilt sections). Here is a link to our Playlist on the topic. th-cam.com/play/PLlwpbgibX_O9E4fRgrrV2zxGbzhEvVGVv.html
You are quite welcome. I am glad you found it helpful.
Excellent content well done
Thank you. I am glad you liked it.
excellent job
I am glad you found it useful.
very nice explanation
Thanks I hope you found it useful. It helped me make the choice I was comfortable with when I was doing some repairs.
great video. I just bought an old wooden boat. Your explanation helped me make an easy decision on what to use.
I am glad you found it helpful. Enjoy that boat. There is nothing finer than messing about with boats.
I built my skiff out of 1/4 birch underlayment (9$ sheet) it’s held up great for going on 7 years now
That is awesome. I suspect you did a great job with the fiberglass and if you’ve been able to keep that waterproof for all those years. Nice work my friend
Thank you sir! Yeah to be fair I did a TON of extra work meticulously sealing edges and all surfaces with epoxy before glassing. Also I went through each sheet with a small ball roller to find voids, cut them out and fill with epoxy. The whole thing was a “I’m going to see if this actually works” project. I wouldn’t recommend this method to anyone even though it worked for me lol.
Lol. My dad recently told me a story of him making his own plywood boat when he was a young man. He said it did NOT work. I felt for him because I would hate to do all that work with the anticipation and excitement of launch only to have it leak. :(
Thank you for the video, very informative and just what I was looking for. However for my project I think I'll just go for exterior just because its really just for a small flat bottom paddle boat for putting around the lake in.
I’m glad you found the video helpful or useful. The flat bottom boat sounds like a fun little project for sure. Have a blast!
@@Svdreamchaser you pllppp
It is important to have NO voids as when bolting or screwing into the transom can cause crushing / cracking of the layers on either side of the void as well as not giving the necessary hold of the fastener.
Absolutely. Great point, it ends up being a more solid structure for through bolting as well as all the other advantages is has.
Hello and thank you for the video. I am a structural engineer and just had to add my two cents. We need to be a little careful with what's said in this video. Marine grade plywood is not always made from stronger more durable wood. One of the most expensive marine grade panels is made from Okoume. Okoume has significantly less stiffness, strength and rot resistance relative to Douglas Fir which is used in most exterior plywood. However, Okoume does have one third less density. Also, plywood with less plies (aka: layers) typically has greater strength and stiffness along the length of the panel and less across the width. Increasing the number of plies will reduce the stiffness and strength down the length of the panel in favor of increasing the stiffness and strength across the width. In other words, increasing the ply count balances out the strength and stiffness. Increasing the ply count also makes the panel more dimensionally stable. This being said, if you are only interested in stiffness and strength along the length of the panel, increasing the plies will typically not help.
Dennis thanks for weighing in and providing additional details for those watching the videos. This is great information and is really interesting regarding Okoume. I learned something here for sure as well.
Most lumber yards have ground contact plywood that is available at one third the price of marine plywood when ordered, if the cheaper plywood is covered under vinyl would it make that much difference?
jandjmca mcavoy I have considered that as well but having to replace some of the plywood in the boat that was in a core made me question if it needs to be marine or not, but I opted to not risk it. Certainly the decision would be yours based on any research you do as well.
@@SvdreamchaserI may be wrong, but if you trap moisture in the cheaper plywood, by making it a bit waterproof, but not completely, so really heavy rain then only drying out really slowly, in dull weather it could rot much quicker than if its left untreated, where it gets wet but the wood breathes.
This is helping me and also making me have more questions as I’m doing work on my boat had some old three-quarter pressure treated exterior plywood laying around I thought I’d use up a non-important areas above waterline etc. and I’m thinking I’m just gonna go ahead and use it as long as I soak it with the resin heavy?
Hai... brother thanks this information
I am glad you found it useful.
Thanks 👍👍👌👌
I hope you found it useful. It was good research for me before buying sone for my repairs.
Thank you
I hope it helped out and you found it useful.
There is also 7 ply B/C "Marine" ply sold for $150 per sheet so know what you are getting. A/C 7 ply exterior grade ply for me.
Thankyou.
Hope you found it useful
I didn't realize there was more to it than just pressure treated wood. Thank you for making my brain Fuller dude.
+Thompson BMX You are quite welcome. I t was good info when I learned it and I figured others would benefit from having the facts. Stay cool my friend.
Thanks I always have a hard time convincing my customers why we should use marine grade products. I plan to use your explanation with your permission Thank You again
Cptn Uwe's Pirate Tales I would be honored. So many people, including professionals have given wildly different answers to the question on differences between the two when I have asked. I finally decided to do a bit of research myself too. Thank you again for the kind words and vote of confidence.
Definitely! LoL I mean the use of those type of things really brings your videos to the next level. 😎
Marine plywood that I get from my online supplier here in Germany are A/C for the interiors and A/B for the exterior work.
Thanks for sharing, that is good to know as well for folks in that part of the world if it is different than other places. Thanks Mikolaj
MDO and HDO plywood is typically marine grade and can be had for a LOT cheaper (and sometimes free, as it is usually used for billboard sign board and huge concrete form pours (like bridge abutments, etc...). It usually comes with one side bonded with paper for a perfect surface for painting (e.g. the exterior of your boat) and the other side A quality for varnish. The only downside is sometimes the thickness is slightly odd (but if you were building your whole boat out of it in the beginning you could easily compensate for that).
Kevin Haddock. Interesting, but I would worry about gaps and checks in the inner layers. I know it is each person’s choice but the additional price for this felt like an insurance policy and made me sleep better. But, I recognize everyone likely has a different thought on that.
@@Svdreamchaser I believe that MDO/HDO is also guaranteed gapless and checkless. It is expected to undergo the same if not rougher duty as marine ply (exposure to the elements for decades)
Is marine ply sheet smooth enough for a pool table thanks for you help
It is smooth but I am not sure about proper pool table construction. I though pool tables decks were made of slate.
Hi Gil/
I may be wrong but I counted 11 / 13 plys in the marine grade ply you were holding.
Thanks for the vid.
David. Down Under.
+David Leatherbarrow Very observant. The small piece I had cut had 9/11 but when I zoomed in for the closeup still, I took a photo off the web and it was 15/16ths of an inch thick and you are correct it was 11/13 plys. I didn’t think anyone would notice that because that was one of the prices of footage I lost so I used a stock photo from a marine wood supplier.
Sorry Gil and no offence offered but I notice stuff others miss.
Oh, no offense taken at all. I was impressed with how closely you watched. I love it!!
I am cursed with noticing small details and just because someone says there are 9 / 11 layers does not mean I am not going to check for myself. Ha ha ha ha As I said cursed.
I work with Marine grade plywood daily working for Boston Whaler as a CNC Operator. From Plywwod to Penski to Thermolite etc. The best part is unlimited scrap passes
That would be quite a good fringe benefit. :)
Dumb post. How tf is this helpful to anyone
MrTurbo87lx Idk... Why the fuck would anyone who doesn’t find this helpful comment? Bitch it’s called a comment. Move around.
You forgot about H/D Hard density ply has a slippery epoxy coating on two sides and M/D Medium Density ply has a layer of paper on both sides
Used for concrete forms .
Great point, I wonder if the slippery coating side would cause adhesion problems in a marine application. For example I will at times be covering this marine grade ply with either polyester resin or epoxy resin and glass sheets. I wonder if that would be a material that would not adhere well since it is designed to easily release from set concrete.
HDO (high density overlay) and MDO (medium density overlay) is covered with paper soaked in a phenolic. It was originally developed for highway signs (long life exterior) and it is UV resistant. It is permissible to use it in limited marine use. I would not use it for hull sheeting as it is too stiff to shape. Because of the paper sheathing is it very smooth and finishes well. It can be purchased in one or two sided paper facing. HDO and MDO use softwoods for the interior plys. and can contain some voids. Marine plywood only uses hardwoods.
@@daveengstrom9250 very good I forgot the O
I have a cheap raft. I wanted to make a wood floor so I got pressure treated plywood from box store. Can I sand it? Can I fill in the voids with some kind of glue? Do I need to waterproof the pressure treated wood? I wanted to paint it but not sure because it is pressure treated if I need to epoxy or stain it instead of painting it.
You can sand it and when it is completely dry I would epoxy/glass over it completely on all sides to encapsulate the wood in glass to make it waterproof
I was advised how great plyform or formply is as an alternative to marine grade.
The plywood without epoxy separated one day in moderate rain.
I was unfortunately able to cut, epoxy, paint, and apply glued carpet to my deck plyform. Thinking about starting over. But that was a painful mistake,
Plus it’s crazy heavy,
Agree, I am not as familiar with the alternates to plywood. When I recorded this they were still fairly unproven so i wanted to go with something that had been around and proven for many years. Your point is spot on though, you have to encase it because marine grade is not intended for certain exposures for sure. If you fixed what you had, I would likely just ensure I had the deck material fully encapsulated in resin of some kind so there is no water that can get to the plywood. Even when you install something that screws into it, reseal around those too otherwise you have created an entry point for water. Oh the joy! Lol
in my city there is only crap quality plywood and thereis so much void and surface finishing is realy bad.
the surface has bulging fill with air, if u know what i mean.
wonder if i can fix that surface
That stinks that there is not a good quality in your area. You may want to check with a local cabinet shop to see if they have suppliers that deliver to them and if they would be willing to order it from their supplier and you pick it up from them. That way you don't have to travel far and they likely are already getting deliveries so it may not be a big deal to them. I would just ask the largest cabinet shop in your area if they would be willing to do that. You would have to offer them a bit of markup for it, but that seems fair if that it would take to get 'the good stuff' to you locally.
Marine-grade plywood also does not soak any water, no matter how long it is underwater or even submerged in water. It is treated with special glue all over.
I didn’t realize that, I would assume over time submerged wood would begin to decay and impact the wood more so than the glue, but if we are using it in our boats let’s hope it is not underwater. Lol.
What would you recommend for covering a grate door entrance
C.E Bailey can you confirm for me what a Grate Door Entrance is? I suspect I am just not understanding what it is.
SVDreamChaser 🤣 I meant garage door. Stupid autocorrect
C.E Bailey ahh. I might say for a garage you may want to get an aluminum door. I would say marine grade plywood would stand up to the weather but it may be heavy as heck to try to lift the door. Maybe they can adjust tension springs to compensate for the weight but that one goes beyond my knowledge sadly.
SVDreamChaser not going to be trying to lift it just to keep people out
I'm having a hard time finding marine grade plywood in Houston for a playhouse decking I'm constructing. Anyone know where I can get that, preferably in northwest Houston?
You might try Houston Hardwoods. I bought teak from them years ago when we were in Kemah but not sure if they have marine grade Ply.
Does marine grade plywood resist warping & mildew? Looking to use it inside a van conversion project.
Not both by default. For warping, yes marine grade plywood would be less succ sprinkle to warping because of the additional layers of wood which strengthens it. For mildew, the wood itself doesn’t automatically do that and if you are putting it in a van that is going to be in colder weather, you will need to insulate between the metal and wood very well including a moisture barrier. We have condensation challenges on boats too and good insulation (I prefer closed cell foal with a canoe barrier) it can eliminate the moisture which is the root cause of mildew. I hope that helps. We also did a video on insulating our v-berth many years ago. That method wired well for us.
@@Svdreamchaser Thanks for the response..I will definitely take all your information into consideration.
You really need to specify the grade of marine grade plywood just like any other plywood. Also it will have checks, just not as many. That has been my experience in building boats also.
+Hank Bruner Great feedback Hank. If you happen to know the different grades I want to take them out for others benefit here as well that would be great. I didn’t find that in my research but then again I don’t know if mine was expensive enough to say I’ve covered every angle and every possibility. It be great if you could share some of that info as well, thank you in advance
You cleared up a lot of points. But what about resistance to moisture ? Is there any difference between exterior and marine plys resistance to water. The fact that marine ply has more layers may suggest that the glue may penetrate the layers and offer more moisture resistance - but is this the case ?
Chris Ward My research didn’t uncover anything explicitly regarding that. I think there are a few things inferred however. The first would be the higher quality wood allowing less chance of a problem already being in the material at the time of your use. The other inference I took was that additional layers could potentially isolate a problem with one layer down to a smaller percentage of the overall thickness. For example if I have five layers and I have a problem in one layer/ply I have a 20% problem versus a 33% problem if I only had three layers. The other interesting thing was my research shows that the glue used in exterior or marine grade is essentially the same so I didn’t find a difference in the glue as it relates to your question.
I am glad you enjoyed the video and I hope it helps you as well. Thanks for the kind words
Thank you. I think I will do a little more digging and see if I can get an answer from the technical support of a company who make plywood. See if they can provide an answer for us. If I get anywhere I will let you know what info they supplied. I think the fact that there more layers in marine ply than there are in exterior grade ply will have something to do with it .
Chris Ward cool and thanks for the additional research.
Yes, marine ply is generally more rot-resistant because of (1) more plies and glue layers, as you mentioned (i.e., more barriers to deep penetration of water), (2) much fewer voids, where condensation can occur and initiate "rot pockets", (3) many marine grade plywoods use inherently more decay-resistant tree species, such as mahogany and merenti, and (4) much less prone to forming surface checks, which provide a path for water to get into the layers (avoid doug fir, even marine grade, as it rots quite fast and checks easily, even if covered with paint or epoxy). Note that okoume, though giving a beautiful clear finish, is not decay-resistant and best used for boats that are only transiently wet, such as kayaks.
I never skimp on the quality of plywood I use to build boats. There is so much time and labor invested in rendering even a simple skiff that its just not worth compromising the whole thing to save a few bucks. I've seen many boats built with exterior ply that turned to mush or developed soft spots, even when glassed with epoxy. Never had a failure with decent mahog or merenti ply, and that includes several skiffs that have spent multiple summer seasons in the water (mind, I glass and epoxy-coat the exteriors of my hulls, but generally only use one part polyurethane paints, and usually only coat the interiors with epoxy and paint, and even with water sitting in the bilges have not had any problems whatsoever). Oh, and always seal the edges!
Great Details
Is marine grade plywood lighter in weight? Or does treated plywood the same weight as marine grade ?
I am not sure if there is much of a difference in weight. I would suspect it may be just a tad heavier with the additional layers and glue.
Can we make marine plywood for cabinet outdoor? Will it be fine from harsh weather like sun and rain?
Yes you certainly can. However it would require a protective finish. Marine grade plywood is still layers of wood and if water swaps in the ends of that it will eventually rot the wood. Having it painted would be a good start with a good protective outdoor paint. If you want even better protection, and this is what I do because I use these in hatch marine environment, is paint it with a layer of epoxy. You can buy two part epoxy, mix up small batches and paint all sides. What you end up with is essentially a plastic enclosed wooden structure. Then paint the epoxy with any kind of outdoor paint.
I hope that is helpful and certainly hope others also comment on this as well as there are likely additional ways to protect it.
@@Svdreamchaser thank you so much , we did put marine epoxy on it but only on top where the water most likey hit. The rest is we just primed and painted it
Likely good. In my experience the corners and ends are most at risk for water penetration so if you touch with like a kids paintbrush in epoxy along the edges of the exposed plywood layers.
Every time i have asked for marine grade plywood in seberal different place nobody knew what it was . Home depot , lowes, home hardware.
Yes. Sadly it is not a common material for what people are doing in their homes. I have found that is you contact a “lumber yard” or a “hardwood store” you will typically have better luck than a big box retail store. I get why they don’t carry it, inventory is expensive if it is not something a lot of people will buy. Frankly it is scary that people that work in the hardware department of a big box don’t know of it’s existence though.
I’m hearing conflicting answers from 2 other people as to the marine plywood has to be exposed and able to breathe. But. The other guy says that’s why it rotted because it was exposed. What’s your take? Thanks
I will start by saying I am not a plywood expert, however, and somebody that has used extensively in several boat refits. I have never had a problem when I have completely sealed the plywood in a fiberglass skin and coating that goes all the way around. I am not aware of them rotting because they no longer get air that actually seems counterproductive to me, but I do not have the fax to back that up nor have I had any experience with that has caused problems for me. For example, they used to build boats with a plywood hall, and then cover that entirely in fiberglass inside and outside that is essentially what a fiberglass boat that is plywood cord is. Those both 10 to last for a very long time when there is not exposure to water to the actual plywood. As long as the fiberglass stays solid and doesn’t the laminate or crack that plywood typically last many many many many years my boat was almost 50 years old, and was fine where it never was cracked.
I suspect that there are different grades of "Marine grade" also. As other's have said, different woods. Secondly, so the glue is the same? applied the SAME? I doubt it. I've bought Marine grade, (not for boats even) that was a phenolic resin glue that was THICK resin. you could see the glue lines as definitely thicker. You can buy Baltic Birch, or apple ply, that has the many plys and all, but still is not as stable as the Marine grade.
Thanks. Good points for sure
Can you please give me advice. I'm buying a box trailer and am going to be living out of it. It has two doors, two small vents. No windows. The outside is like a fibreglass material. The inside walls are that insulation with the kind of silver material over the insulation. What do you think I should do? Put marine ply over the insulation walls? I am mostly concerned about condensation and mold happening. However I can prevent that would be helpful. Thank you!
This may go beyond my capability. I would recommend that you insulate it well. Condensation forms based on the thermal differences on the outside and the inside of the material. So if you have the clothed cell foam with foil backing on it, that is a good moisture barrier and will also help with insulation. You would have to do some research on the R-value needed in the temperature you intend to be in. I hope this gives you some general direction on where to go about your research.
@@Svdreamchaser Thats the one, the inside walls of the box trailer has that insulation with the foil on it. Somebody said about then putting marine ply over the insulation all the way around. Will marine ply mold?
Yes. Marine grade plywood can also mold just like regular Plywood. The key here is using the right insulation to avoid the moisture in the first place.
If I were doing the inside of the camper trailer, I probably would just use a good finished regular plywood and not a family spend four times more on the marine grade the assumption is your trailer is not going to be exposed to the same level of water that a boat would be.
@@Svdreamchaser Thanks for bearing with me on this one as I don't know much about Materials ect. It won't be exposed to the same levels of water a boat would be no. It won't be anywhere near the sea/salt-air either. It will simply be outside my uncles house and I will sleep in it. It's here in the UK so can get a little cold in the winter and does rain a lot. I will avoid at all costs getting into the trailer wet. The outside body is fiberglass, apparently that's very water proof with the rainy weather, don't know if that's true. My only concern is mold on the inside, it's all for nothing if that happens
I've read a few articles on plywood boat building and materials written by folks who build them for sale. My take on it from these people is that materials are not a place to cheap out, considering the time and effort going into building a boat. Forget so called marine plywood sold by home centers for starters.
Agree. It is worth validating it looks like what I showed in this video.
The plywood that's being sold in the US is pretty darn expensive. Plywood sold here cost only $17.50 for the exterior grade and the marine grade is $20.50. Both are for 3/4 4x8.
Anyway great video. I was looking up plywood grades for a project I'm planning on doing.
Wow. Where is it that you get it that price. What country or part of the country. That is a great price.
@@Svdreamchaser Here in the Philippines.
Actually I had to double check the prices and it is indeed hovering around $17.50 and $20.50 for the 3/4 4x8 plywood.
I looked around at our local online ads site and the most expensive Marine plywood I saw were those dual veneer/double faced laminated ones which was like $60 for the 3/4 4x8.
@@bigbadspikey That is a GREAT price. Too bad it was cost so much to ship some here. lol
@@Svdreamchaser Unless you wanna do a Magellan and cruise around the Pacific. lol
I'm really fascinated on how Magellan got here. We're the most typhoon/cyclone prone country in the world and the Pacific is hardcore full of storms. Those old Spanish ships are tough.
The old Spanish ships were tough and apparently so were the sailors. :)
Hi there, what do you guys seal the plywood on your boat with to make it completely waterproof?
For down below we don’t typically bother (interior) but exterior or engine room we put a thin layer of glass Matt or just two coats of epoxy around it to seal it inside a cover.
@@Svdreamchaser this is kind of random but I'm looking to use the same solutions you guys use but for a subfloor in the living room instead of a boat to create a waterproof plywood. Would you still recommend coating it with resin in that situation? Or some other sealant?
If I were doing it in a house that was not “pier and beam” I would not seal it personally. But if this was ground floor on Pier and beam, I would paint the bottom side and all edges with a west epoxy resin (paint on with a chip brush). This would seal from evaporative moisture from below the pier and beam.
If it is a different floor type, let me k ow and I can give my two cents.
@@Svdreamchaser I'm not sure what you mean by pier and beam. I've got a concrete floor that I want to put plywood on. Below that concrete floor is a garage. Hopefully that's helpful
Well, yes and nooo, Marine ply has ratings WBP - Weather and Boiling Proof, meaning the ply must be boiled for a couple of hours without delaminating. The glue is also waterproof - not water resistant. Many exterior plywoods note that their ply is water resistant - not waterproof. Its kinda like saying galvanized is okay over stainless steel where something with eventually fail /rot out, if you don't mind doing your work twice, only to save the 1st time. So careful what you by for the purpose.
Either way... really think about sealing cut / open ends of ply with a good waterproof glue...Titebond waterproof glue is easy to use and not too messy.
Great Tips. I think it certainly makes sense treating the cut ends, as those almost always seem to be the wicking spot that other moisture problems expand from.
I don't agree with you but good video...
+wayne mazan Glad you liked it.
He reminds me of the Never Nude from Arrested Development.
Still not sure what to make of this comment. lol
Sorry, the Manley version of David Cross from Arrested Development. Doppelgänger,. It was a fun comment for other viewers who reed the comments. Thanks for the wood Breakdown. Thumbs up.
Now I will have to go search up the show. Lol
Perhaps something cheaper for a first time builder of a small dinghy.
Completely your call but I beleive in this case that you may only want to build that dingy once. If part of the wood delaminates due to grade/quality it would be hard to replace later. In the end it may only cost a couple hundred bucks more when making a dink. Certainly your call completely. I tend to be pretty frugal and this was one I didn’t skip on.
Marine grade still needs to be epoxied to be weather proofed. I spend more money and or take my time on the coatings
Certainly agree. It should be finished but I believe is a step up from non marine grade.
So what can I get a Lowe's and what product can I use to seal it before I throw a foam matt on it? It's gonna be my floor on the aluminum bass boat.. does anybody know any products that would work on sealing it so I can after stick the foam padding on top..
I am sure different stores carry different stuff. By me the local Home Depot and Lowe’s did NOT have real marine grade. They had “exterior grade” which they said was the same but it is not and you can check the things I mention in this video to validate it.
Bruh000.everything in and the making of marine spec plywood.by far will always be better or higher grade than anything else out there..you do go sea with exterior home paneling..maybe on freshwater house boat.rentals in arizona..but anywhere else.its all about who made it.and how much is it...bottom line here is the MARINE PLYWOOD..goes to sea....thermaly decay the scraps of both with a propane torch.and I bet you find differances.
Thanks for the comment Robert.
Home Depot plywood comes in different grades, FYI. You can buy low quality garbage like you have, or you can buy high grade for shelving and cabinets.
True, the piece of non marine grade in this video was some scrap I found and realize it is a construction grade. My local Home Depot’s do not sell marine grade high quality plywood. You are correct however that they do have different grades based on the finish of the wood. For example C/B has tighter grain on the outermost layer to give it a nicer finished look for cabinets or furniture.
However my preference for boat work is marine grade due to the lack of voids in the layers and the higher quality source wood.
Is it better than the regular plywood? If Im going to build a wooden house, should i use a marine grade ply wood rather than a regular ply? Or osb?
It is better however if you are talking about building a house I would not use marine grade if it were me personally. The reason is that a home typically has other coverings on it to keep it weatherproof (Tavel, bricks, siding, etc). The home won’t be in a harsh conditions as a boat typically. That is my take but certainly you would have to do some math to determine the cost difference and if it was worth it for you. I suspect you will need so much it won’t make it worthwhile.
Cooper and Alluminum do not mix. Regular treated plywood is treated with copper. So never put it on a Alluminum boat. You could buy regular plywood and paint it with marine paint, top and bottom. Also depends on the application. Walls vs floor like on a houseboat.
I didn't know that, thanks for the info
I have a cheap raft. I wanted to make a wood floor so I got pressure treated plywood from box store. Can I sand it? Can I fill in the voids with some kind of glue? Do I need to waterproof the pressure treated wood? I wanted to paint it but not sure because it is pressure treated if I need to epoxy or stain it instead of painting it.
You can sand and fill it but know it is still slightly quality than marine grade but truth be told many boat builders don’t use marine grade and just ensure the wood is completely glassed on all sides. If you don’t drill or crack the glass the wood should last forever.
I have to say, I think that this may have swayed me the other way with marine ply. The kind of reasoning of "it's only a couple hundred dollars" adds up when you do that with every part of the boat. Moreover, several of the benefits ofa marine plywood are irrelevant if you're glassing/painting both sides. The finish of the wood is not at all something I would be worrying about if I'm just glassing over it anyway.
Good Points Daniel. I agree it would depend on what you are doing with it. I like the strength of the extra layers and the lack of voids. I personally think if you do get any delamination or moisture between the new glass you put on, those differences could slow down a rotting process that may happen with that moisture. I do understand however that if you glass it over and it doesn't have moisture or air in there it should never be a problem. I was playing it safe over sorry for sure and I used the thought of the fact that the yard also skinned over both sides, but then there are always screws or fittings where you 'could' get moisture.
I am glad that the video was informative and gave you the information you need to make a decision, and as always those decisions we make are our own for sure :)
@@Svdreamchaser I think your point about the screw holes is a good one. The deck is an area I might spend the extra cash, maybe the transom. Lots of repetitive point loads, much more likely to see standing water than some other parts of the boat, and much more likely to get holes drilled for new brackets and such. But I think for the main hull it's probably just money that you could spend somewhere else for a better return on your money.
I've been watching some of MingMing II's build history, and it's really interesting to me where he spent money: carbon spars for the mainsail, cheap wood for interior mods (but well glassed over), and really good watertight hatches. Of course his priorities are probably different than a lot of people's (you really want the cabin dry in the Arctic), but I tend to be sympathetic with spending the money where it's going to have the biggest impact.
I'm also not terribly worried about the value of the boat long term. Boats depreciate, and I think it's pretty rare for someone's needs in a boat to stay the same for longer than 10 or 15 years. So If I'm going to be unloading the boat in 10 years, and almost certainly not going to recoup any "investment", then its not going to be financially worthwhile to sink money in that's not going to be making a better boat for that decade.
@@DanielWilliams-oi4ss All good points. The funny thing is I realized nobody will think my boat is worth what I think it is. So I just assume it is money spent and never will I recuperate it if I sell. But that is ok, I am doing my work for me and not for the "next guy" :)
Well I can’t find marine grade plywood anywhere near me. Home supply store it will be. No way in heyell I’m paying that much for plywood. Epoxy resin is your friend.
To each his own and as I mentioned in our video on our rework, I was able to justify it for me even if just for peace of mind and a false sense of security. I think there I no denying it is a better product but each person needs to make their own decision of the difference in quality and what they are doing warrants the difference in price.
Apples vs oranges 🤣🤣🤣 been using bc for decades no probs polyester resin too 🤣🤣🤣
Good to know and glad it has worked out. I made the choice for me it was worth the bit of extra money for the roof repairs on the boat. For interior stuff I have chose to use standard BC as well.
Can you get to the point? Sometime today?
Apparently and felt I did. Clearly not quick enough for you. Lol.
There are only two grades of plywood Marine plywood and shite.
Lol.
So if I have a 1989 Grady white that’s 20’ long and worth about $8k, and I was replacing the stringers and bulkheads, I’d probably just go with exterior grade plywood.
I likely wouldn't unless you just want to do the repair and make it someone else's problem. I think that the cost difference is not enough to skimp on this as a precautionary. Certainly the decision is all yours, but I would be nervous about that. If you want to test it, pick up a scrap of exterior grade (vs marine grade) and set it out in the rain for 2 months. It will be so swelled up and loose in the glue joints. I don't think it is worth it on something that is this close to and in the water if not covered and completely sandwiched in glass.
@@Svdreamchaser what about Baltic birch plywood? I’ve read that some people use that. What are the properties of that type of plywood?
@@jackofmosttrades9127 I had a hard time finding it in full sheets and while it was very dense and had a lot of layers, I was worried it may not have the exterior glue in the plys. But honestly I don’t know a ton about it. I use it for things I build in the garage but not the boat. Not sure my reasons are sound on that front. Lol.
@@Svdreamchaser I’ve also found that the prices are very similar to marine plywood. So as far as cost goes, why would anyone buy Baltic birch if they can just get marine specific plywood? There must be some reason. Idk.
@@jackofmosttrades9127 great question. I think it depends on where you hear or get tips. With the growth of TH-cam content, there are tons of wood workers that build cabinets and things like that with Baltic birch because it is good to work with and a nice wood for that, but if your a diy house guy and get into boating you likely are familiar with Baltic Birch as a choice. If your a boater/refitter that starts doing home projects, your likely already familiar with Marine grade. Lol. I guess it comes down to where your ideas and interest started. Lol.
Tired of seeing that boat logo. Content was good.
You mean the watermark?
I thought that this was going to be about marine plywood; but it turned out to be mostly about a guy's face?
Yes, my videos actually show my face. This video, while it did show my face, also showed the differences between the marine grade plywood and exterior grade plywood. We counted the layers, we showed the gaps, we talked about exterior quality. We showed examples of each, we showed close-ups and yes, when it was zoomed out and I was speaking, I’ve got a face it was on there. No apologies.
need to get rid of the kids the wife and grandkids ,, finish up my boat and gtfo
Wow. Go big or go home I guess.