Hello Team,
After searching the local market in Thailand, it seems 4mm BS1088 marine plywood is not readily available. I’ve checked with multiple suppliers, and it appears that only 6mm BS1088 is in stock.
Before moving forward, I’d love to hear your thoughts on using 6mm in place of 4mm. While it adds some additional weight, it might also provide extra durability. That said, I realize it might slightly alter the specifications.
Additionally, I wanted to let you know we’re having the wood cut locally using the CNC files you Angus and team provided. If there are any specific details you’d like the shop to pay special attention to—or any guidelines to ensure the cuts are accurate—please let me know. It might also be helpful to clarify whether we should label or mark pieces on the spot (for example, Port or Starboard) to avoid confusion down the line.
Thank you for your input and guidance. I look forward to hearing your thoughts so we can move forward smoothly. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or additional recommendations.
Warm regards,
Todd
Hello Todd,
6mm will be just fine for the hull panels in the RowCruiser. In fact, we made our original prototype from 6mm and used to spec that rather than the current 4mm. As you say, 6mm will give you slightly greater strength at the expense of a small bit of weight.
When CNC cutting, it's a good idea to test the finger joints (in case the tolerances are off) before cutting the entire lot. And, yes, it's definitely helpful to engrave the labels on the pieces to make the assembly process easier. This can be done as part of the CNC process - simply do the labelling with a small bit with 1/16" depth into the wood prior to actually cutting them out.
The outer rectangles around the pieces can be used to verify sclaing. They should be 98.5x48".
I hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello Todd,
I built an Expedition. You didnt say if you're building an Expedition or a RowCruser (Colin's reply implies the latter), so I dont know how applicable to you situation my reply will be.
Like you I was unnable to get 4mm BS1088 marine plywood.
So I deviated from the build instructions and build with with 5.5mm popcore throughout.
Additional devications from the build instructions are
- extra layers of glass+epoxy in high wear areas.
- extra layer of paint on the botton of the hull.
- extra epoxy at joints - I built from plans, so I cut every piece by hand, hence there were a lot of gaps to fill.
The net effect was an increase of the hull weight. From the advertised 38kg, to the 'as built' weight of 50kg (including paint and three hatch lids.
The increase in weight is not necessarly a bad thing on the water. The extra bit of weights adds to the momentum that keeps the boat behaving nicely, it's not easly knocked off track by the slap of choppy waves on the quarter. However lifting it from/to the car roofrack is a pain in the.... shoulder.
Luckly, more time is spent rowing the boat than carrying it.
All the very best of luck with it.
Kind regards,
Tony
@Colin Angus
Hi Colin,
Thank you so much for the quick and detailed feedback on using 6mm for the RowCruiser hull panels. It’s reassuring to hear that you originally built your prototype with 6mm and that the added strength should more than justify the slight weight gain. I’ll make sure to test those finger joints before cutting everything.
