> In Norway I may buy 4mm Meranti in size 1.20 x 2.40 for approximately 1/4
> price of 4mm Okume size 1.25 x 2.50.

> The Meranti sold here is exterior grade (planned to be used outdoor), but
> it is not specifically planned to be used for marine constructions, and so
> may contain a bit of voids, they say.

> The Meranti sold here is said to be considerably heavier than Okume, same
> thickness. Sorry, I do not have numbers available. If someone do have
> numbers, I will be interested.

> Of course the Meranti you are talking about may be real marine grade
> without voids. The one available here is not. However, I did learn (in the
> CLC forum) that boats made by the Meranti i talk about have lived well
> over time. (If you look at CLC forum and replies to questions by me, you
> will find this info.)

> Jan Gunnar Moe

> ----

Jan Gunnar, I could've written this in Norwegian, of course, but I'll stick to "New Norwegian".. I used the kind of Meranti you mention on my first kayak, a short, beamy, stable sort of boat. It came out at 36kg..Since then I've built several kayaks from okoume, and have had the chance to weigh sheets of the two different woods: Meranti is 40% heavier! And it HAS voids. And it's a LOT stiffer than okoume ply: the kayak I used this ply for didn't call for much "torturing" of the panels, but I probably wouldn't have been able to use the meranti for the more complex hull/deck shapes of my later kayaks.

Of course, this ply we get in Norway isn't sold as "marine" quality, but I don't think "marinizing" the wood can reduce the weight and produce a more flexible sheet. I suppose the voids (which are visible when varnished!) would be gone.

But then, meranti has good sides to it also: It's much better-looking than okoume; has a colour closer to mahogany, and much straighter grain than the marine quality okoume I've used for my later kayaks. And it's strong/hard: This first boat was intended as a sort of training project for later boats, so I chose not to glass it at all; the hull is only varnished. It still looks good.

The ply used for this boat was 4mm all over, since this was the only quality available.

Conclusion is: I wouldn't recommend meranti ply for kayak building, judging from weight and stiffness.

Øivind