Purpleheart

[TritonSean]

I need to make some cockpit coamings for my Triton - my local fancy wood supplier wants
7.00 per board foot for purpleheart, 14.00 for mahogany and 33.00 for teak.
I really like the look of purpleheart. I was planning on laminating together two 1 x 8's to get the 15 odd inches needed.
and then epoxy and varnish.

any feedback would be much appreciated !

[preserved_killick]

I think the wood used is personal preference. I'm too cheap to buy Teak, I've been happy with the mahogany I've used.

Epoxy then varnish: I initially did that with a number of projects thinking it made great sense at the time. For most of what I did, I regret the epoxy as a complete coating. I've found that unless the piece is completely and unquestionably sealed from moisture, the epoxy will fail. For me that meant that much of my wood looked great all season, in the fall I noticed a few darkish areas. As soon as we the cold weather came the moisture that got inside froze and lifted the epoxy in places. Big mess to fix. Also, the epoxy changes the color of the wood a bit, then the varnish adds a different color. If you ever need to fix or touch up a little spot by sanding it out and revarnishing, you end up with a spotty color when you sand through the varnish.

A couple of winters ago, I ended up stripping back to bare wood an many items, and just went with straight varnish. I don't notice any less durability and maintenance is much easier, which is saying alot since it's varnish.

https://picasaweb.google.com/fongemie/P ... directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L ... directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/fongemie/R ... directlink

-Jeff

[okawbow]

I also prefer varnish on bare wood. I thin the first coat almost 50%, and the second coat a little less, and so on, until the 6th coat is only thinned enough to make it easy to brush. I also think the best prep for the wood is to sand smooth with coarser paper and then stop at 100 grit. that leaves the wood more receptive of the varnish.

I've used african mahogany from a big lumber store like Menards, and was pleased with the looks and durability. much cheaper than the exotic wood store price.

[Figment]

You're in a tough spot, anyone who has had to replace coamings can sympathize.
I understand what you're trying to do and why, but don't do it.

1x stock is too thin for coamings, particularly at the high end, the proportion will look odd. You need 4/4 at least, 5/4 will be better.
These coamings have significant bend and twist. It's difficult enough with solid stock, any butt-joint is doomed.
Likewise, that bend and twist makes purpleheart a poor choice.

That big piece of mahogany is a big bullet to bite, but it's the right thing to do.

[preserved_killick]

I had some Mangaris (red balau?) left over from a deck project I did. I ran it through the planer and it's a close match to the African $$ mahogany I bought from the exotic wood yard. If anything the color is more consistent than mahogany, a touch darker. Mangaris feels denser, tougher than African mahogany too. Glues up nice and looks great with varnish. Trouble is it comes in 1x6 only I think.

jeff

[Rachel]

I'll chime in as another who prefers not to routinely epoxy under varnish. My reasons are the same as Preserved_K's. (Not saying I never would, but just not as my standard procedure.)

I think that if it were me, I would either buy the "right" high-quality wood (I realize you are trying to determine what right options there are), in a generous thickness, OR, I would consider just making the coamings out of laminated plywood and glass them*, and then paint and attach to the boat. Then eventually buy the good stuff. This is an extension of Figment's "do it right or don't go at all" approach. I would have to do some figuring on costs and time before doing that though.

*I got this idea from the coamings on CharlieJ's Meridian.

[TritonSean]

thanks guys

much appreciated..... as everyone here knows, it is a constant balancing act between what I can afford
and what needs to be done... got some big expenditures coming up; alternator, mainsail... Just want to get back on the water
in as good a shape as possible next Spring.

[The Froon]

I am working with purpleheart on my restoration (backing plates, outboard motor mount / pad)...this species is pretty dense, so not sure it would be the easiest material to work with. Then again, teak is fairly hardy. It's hard to go wrong with the beauty of Mahogany.

Brian

[One Way David]

I have made a few plane bodies with purpleheart but thats all. Not sure of it's weatherability. Just because it is dense doesn't mean it will withstand the weather.

It is high in tannin and will turn your hands black, though.

Dave.

[Shoalcove]

I've no experience with Purpleheart but if you want a reasonable replacement for teak, you could try Iroko. It's a pretty common replacement and was considerable cheaper when I bought some last winter.

[Hirilondë]

There is nothing significantly wrong with using Purpleheart. It may be a little hard to bend if there is much curve without using steam. I love the color for decorative stuff like picture frames. But when exposed to ultraviolet it turns a deep brown that I don't particularly like. Is African Mahogany really up to $14/bd. ft.?