Pine for Hatch Boards?

[HukilauMike]

Ok, this year I mean it - I'm going to make new companionway hatch boards this winter. My question: has anyone made hatch boards out of pine? I would rather use a readily available material like pine than have to special order an expensive hardwood. Teak ain't happening as its way too expensive, and the mahogany at my local lumber yard and Home Depot is either crappy looking, too narrow, way overpriced, or all of the above. So, has anyone tried pine with either good or bad results?

 

[kloudie1]

New Boards

I made some temporary boards (2) out of marine ply.. Carefully dressed the edges and put three coats of Cetol stain and three coats of Cetol satin finish on the boards. They were in the weather for 3 months while I refinished the teak boards (5). They look great still. The problem is that pine, like ply will not last as long in the weather without attention as teak .. Have you looked at Ipe (pronounced E-Pay)? A hardwood that is starting to be used for home decking. It will be fine in the outdoors and costs a lot less than teak. You may be able to find a deck being built (through the lumberyard) and ask for scraps enough to make your boards. The scraps will be too thick but you can get them planed to dimension at a cabinet shop for very little dollars.. They take a really nice finish.. Picture is of a toolbox made of the stuff. Good Luck!

 

[48dodge]

Have you looked into ipe? I'm replacing all of the exterior teak on my 222 with ipe (deck material) for about the price it would have cost me to replace just the hatch runners. It machines really well. And unless you hold it right next to teak, it can be hard to tell apart.

Are you talking about using syp boards? I would worry about warping since most that I've seen aren't quartersawn boards but is usually plainsawn

 

[Ross]

Mike, Pine will work well enough IF you keep it well protected with varnish(clear finish) or paint. Cherry wood is more durable and prettier if you are going for a natural finish. At most you are going to use about 10-12 board feet so the cost will range from $3 to $6 a board foot. You sail the waters of Long Island sound and along the north shore of the sound from NY to RI you should be able to find suppliers of hardwoods for cabinet shops. I know there is a good one in Greenwich that I used when I was doing some work in Rye a few years ago.

 

[Warren Milberg]

When I owned an Alberg Sea Sprite, I made a "temporary" single-piece hatch board for it out of marine ply. Cut a rectangle out in the middle and added a stainless vent, with a screen behind it on the inside as the orginal boards did not have a vent and this one was to be used when on the hard in winter. Finished it with a few coats of Cetol. It turned out so well, I used it for the permanent hatch board.

Years later, I made some multi-piece (4) hatch boards for a small C&C I owned out of mahoghany. I don't think it cost more than $80 for the wood, which was easy to work with and really tough. When stained and coated with Cetol, they looked like teak which is what I wanted as the trim around the companionway, and all the other wood on that boat, was also teak. The guy who now owns that boat (in Canada) which I owned in the mid-90's is still using those boards..... I would not use pine under any circumstance. If low cost is the primary issue, and you don't care much for what it looks like, use Starboard.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It's very soft wood, as I recall

from wood shop in high school. It'll be easy to work because it's soft, and will just get more dings if you can find a stain that meets your color expectations and a sealer that'd be "hard" enough to reduce the dings.

 

[Ross]

from wood shop in high school. It'll be easy to work because it's soft, and will just get more dings if you can find a stain that meets your color expectations and a sealer that'd be "hard" enough to reduce the dings.

There is Eastern White Pine and it is quite soft and there is red pine which is used for flooring, the southern yellow pine group when you can find high ring count wood is as strong and tough as oak. Douglas fir could also be a good choice. Remember that ALL sap wood rots and should be avoided in this application. Cypress is fairly hard and very durable.
The available native lumber is sufficient for all boat building needs.

 

[Ross]

Here is a pix of 4 native hardwoods grown and milled locally.

from the left there is cherry, black walnut, red oak and locust.

 

[HukilauMike]

When I owned an Alberg Sea Sprite, I made a "temporary" single-piece hatch board for it out of marine ply. Cut a rectangle out in the middle and added a stainless vent, with a screen behind it on the inside as the orginal boards did not have a vent and this one was to be used when on the hard in winter. Finished it with a few coats of Cetol. It turned out so well, I used it for the permanent hatch board.

That is exactly what I did. I used polyurethane instead of cetol though as a finish, and the top layer of ply is deteriorating rapidly. And I can't sand out the waterdamaged areas. If I could sand and refinish what I have, I would be a happy camper. I thought that if I make replacement boards out of solid wood, I will be able to refinish them more easily.

 

[HukilauMike]

Here is a pix of 4 native hardwoods grown and milled locally.

from the left there is cherry, black walnut, red oak and locust.

Thanks for your expertise Ross. My problem is that the local lumber yard won't sell me just one board, and Home Depot has crappy quality wood except for #1 pine. The mahogany boards are all cupped, and there is no cherry, let alone locust.

What about oak for hatch boards? The grain is obviously not teak-like, but what do you think of its appropriateness for this use?

I have no problem looking further, but the Admiral tends to get annoyed when I am enthusiastic for boat improvement projects but can't be bothered with house projects. I guess I will have to expand my search and suffer the consequenses.

 

[caguy]

What kind of wood are palettes made of?

The scrap guy offereed me some the other day. I took a close look and they appear to be made of some kind of hard wood. All of the planks were clear of knots. Other than needing a good planing the wood looked suitable for hatches. I didn't notice the cut but theyall appeared perfectly flat inspite of being in the weather. Most I assume (based on our wonderful trade deficit come from Asia) and may very well be made of teak. If you search the archive you will find some post about a certain tractor shipped in teak crates.How do you plan on weather proofing the joints? Is a shiplap enough?Frank

 

[Ross]

Mike oak is a better choice than pine. It will take stain very nicely. Use Minwax stain conditioner first for a more uniform staining color.
The only way I can get locust is as fence posts from the saw mill, all of the rest I can get as boards. I can't imagine a yard that won't sell a single plank if they have it in stock. Also try the local farm fence people. Horse pastures are often fenced with wood, usually 1x6 from the local saw mill. If you live in an area where people keep horses ask at the local feed store about a local saw mill. (local is within 50 miles). If you see a truck load of saw logs follow it. It may lead to a sawmill. Sawyers generally don't spend much money advertising. Also the local tree surgeons will often get large logs worth converting and will know a sawyer.

 

[48dodge]

White oak, yes. Red oak is not rot resistant at all. It would have to be completely sealed to stand a chance. I'd worry a little about cherry myself. In full sun, it darkens quite nicely, but only to a certain point. After that, it can actually start to turn green. Another cheap alternative, although not perfect, would be poplar. It's pretty dimensionally stable, but I'd still seal it up pretty good before using it since it's not resistant to rot.

Do you have an 84 lumber around? If so, they typically sell ipe. I'd still keep that at the top of your list if you're against using ply

 

[Ross]

Ship lap will be adequate but be sure to bevel the cuts so that the joint will drain when the board is in place.

 

[48dodge]

Pallets are usually made of cottonwood aka poplar. Usually cheaper grades.

 

[Ross]

Pallets are usually made of cottonwood aka poplar. Usually cheaper grades.

We had a sawmill here that cut lumber just for pallets and dunnage and they used any species that came in on the truck.
Pallets that come in under foreign made plywood often have some pretty fine short pieces of tropical hardwood.

 

[caguy]

Good point Ross., otherwise the rain would run back and just sit in the grove. Thatls what I love about this forum, I learn something new everyday.Thanks Ross,FrankBYW What doe you think of wooden palets as a source. One thing I have learned is not to compromise on materials, not worth the time put into a project.

 

[kendall]

A while ago I was at Menards, one of the box stores around here, and noticed that they had teak flooring (3/4 x 3+1/4") at $40 a box, IIRC 20 or 25 square foot/box. With clamps and good glue you could make up some hatchboards from them. The wood looked pretty nice, and was solid wood, not a laminate.

I looked at it to use for a sole, and it would of worked fine, only draw back in my opinion was that it was in semi-random lengths 4 foot and shorter, with roughly half being 4ft. I've forgotten exactly what type of teak it is.

Been thinking of of picking up a box and rebuilding the companionway on the ariel, which has had a few previous repairs done on it, some not so well done.

If you don't have a menards around you, check flooring places etc.

Ken.

 

[Ross]

Pallets are sometimes a good source but too often it is like mucking out a stable looking for the horse. You have to work your way past an awful lot of s*** before you find the good stuff. My best finds have been shipping crates for machinery or airconditioners or motor cycles and such.

 

[CalebD]

ML Condon Lumber in White Plains sells every species of wood mentioned here. I can't believe that there isn't a store somewhere closer to you, say around Hartford, CT?
Ipe (or Ironwood) would be my first choice of wood for durability but not for workability; this stuff is as hard as iron (hence the name) and does not float in salt water.