plywood choices for floor and transom

[Kracker Jack]

Well after doing some research I have found a ACX plywood called Arauco it is an Argintinian species of wood called Radiata pine. Of course it is not treated but the glues and lack of voids in the layers and surface being permeable make it a great canidate to be treated with a "hotcoat" seems like it would really soak up the epoxy or other resins and only $30.00 dollars a sheet at Lowes.

[Kracker Jack]

Well after 2.5 hours of research on this plywood i have decide this Aruaco plywood is the material im gonna use for my transom and floor repair. This plywoods only down fall is alot of guys say its very thirsty when it comes to treating it with a hotcoat. everyone says its very solid with no voids and is put together with a good grade exterior glue. I read some negatives also but most of the negatives came from the purists or the old school workboat builders(which means alot because these are our wise men) they simply didnt like it due to more use of resin and some inpurfections in the thickness of the plys which they consider make the panel not as strong, when i seen the material at Lowes today all the plys were very consistent with each other in my opinion. Alot of the guys on other forums have put samples of this plywood in there diswashers to do the BOIL TEST and the plywood has passed the test with flying colors all claiming no delaminisation what so ever. One guy even put it as his base floor in his pontoon boat like 4 years ago and the integrety of the plywood still remains the same. im gonna be bringing my v20 home this weekend after my morning deer hunt on saturday so I will make a new build thread and start documenting my demo and rebuild with plenty of pics. Thanks for all the help guys Im sure im gonna need alot more of before this is all said and done.

[RidgeRunner]

Good choice. The price is right. We pressure treat plywood on a regular basis. Arauco plywood is one hard plywood to treat. It has interior plys that are so dense we simply have trouble. The interior plys are also allowed to be hardwood which cannot be penetrated effectively by the pressure treatment process.
On the other hand, Radiata Pine boards and fence picketts are like a sponge. Due to the fast growth of the tree, the growth rings are not very close together so there is a lot of sapwood that is easy to penetrate with preservative.
I don't think you will have any issues. It has a great track record. Keep us posted.. Pictures too..

[inaforty]

Very interesting research.
The front deck of our V is soft and will need recoring at some point.

I used Coosa board to recore the cockpit hatches on the Bertram last winter but the Coosa was pretty $$$.

[Kracker Jack]

The first thing i searched when i joined this forum was core material. I was very interested in what backyard fiberglass guys and professional repair and boat builders are using besides the over price marine plys.Im expecting this boat to last me for a while and if my repairs with a 30.00 dollar big box store(lowes,home depot) last me 15 years then im gonna be happy. There are a few threads on here where guys push nothing but expensive marine grade ply wood I disagree with that. But I do agree with using fresh resin and quality cloth and a decent ply that is functional. I f anyone else has any more opions or has experience with the 3/4 arouca ply wood from lowes please share because im sure alot of budget conscious backyard repair guys would like know. Thanks for all the info in advance.

[spareparts]

I've seen a lot of the crap that boat builders use, most of it is barely cdx throw aways. the wood you've picked out is probably better than 50% of the boat builders out there, True marine grade wood is a rarity in the marine world

[RidgeRunner]

We stock and sell the PT marine grade plywood. I really like it for some applications but not all.. It is excellent for pontoon boat decks. Most of which never gets sealed. I have seen it rot in the worst of conditions, like pedestal seat bottoms where the foam gets wet and keeps the plywood soaked. Wellcraft used 1/2" CDX plywood for the foremost bulkhead on my center console. And they didn't bother to glass it 100%. Just tabbed it in place with some heavy roving.
Coosa is real nasty to work with and soaks up resin. The cost for major itch was $125 per sheet for 3/4" in 1996. I used it on my deck and hatches on my V. It is my understanding that it will never rot.

[bigshrimpin]

I used ACX Arauco in a bracket that I built 2.5years ago . . . I was very pleased with the product. Also used it in my transom on the 23 seacraft. Only time will tell . . . but seems like a decent lower cost alternative to Dougfir abx or Okume marine ply

[Kracker Jack]

shrimpin did you make the wheel house on seacraft? That is one sweet set up!!!

[bigshrimpin]

Thanks Kracker . . . That's a seamark mini pilot house!! It's huge but it fits perfectly into the 23 . . . I can even standup in the console. I got it from Bill Potter who had it on loan to Piratecom in PA.