Hi All,

Short Version: Does hellfire, brimstone, and destruction loom before me if I use baltic birch ply for my first boat? I realize that it'll be a few pounds heavier, but the wood's cheap, I'm epoxying/glassing the whole darn thing, and if it turns out, I won't be so adverse to making the next project out of the good stuff. I've already checked the archives, and didn't see any bad news.

Long Version: I've been lurking for a month or so, and am about to start my first boat. So I wanted to lay out my ideas for a quick idiot check before I started cutting into plywood.

I've been messing around in boats most of my life. Mostly canoes and jonboats, but the last couple of years I dabbled in sailboats and plastic kayaks, and have decided on building a Chesapeake LT 17 from plans. I'm going with the plans since I'm pretty handy with tools. Besides, with the plans, the wife doesn't get sticker shock from a $700 check in the book. It's much easier to sneak a hundred here and there over a couple of months.

Since this is my first boat, I'm kind of averse to dropping $45/sheet for marine mahogany. The wood shop I found in Manchester, CT has some nice baltic birch sheets in the proper thickness that I'm planning on using. They're about a third the cost. I looked at the archives, and couldn't find any good reasons not to use them, other than weight. On the plus side, I think the birch will look sweet with some varnish on it.

The boat will see day/overnight use, maybe a long weekend eventually.

So what's the verdict?

Bill Jankowski