mercanti Aquatek

Two square pieces of marine ply destined to be jigsawed into the new bulkhead got just a little wet in the first rain. It was easy to see that the first panel was warped and the other was warped but also had a hump in it and along an edge the top lam was curling up in places.

When you cut into the original fir ply (circa 1965) on 338 you notice it's pink thru and thru. There is not a whisper of delamination on any exposed edge anywhere in the boat. Heartwood.

Modern marine 5ply fir is still stamped on the edge like it's s'posed to be. But it is 95% white wood, soft, full of footballs on the face veneer, and often has voids which is the reason why it gets the no void stamp which is why you spent 40plus bucks a sheet for 1/2" anyway. Maybe one attribute is that the wood is so porus it sucks up epoxy like a thirsty horse.

The Captain in the boat next to me in the yard had been holesawing backing blocks for his thru-hulls out of some 1/2" cutoffs befor the storm. I picked up a piece out of a puddle, the top side already drying from thr sun. I sighted the piece. Dead flat, holes and all, including the 'tail' that curved to a point.

It looks like a kind of mahogany plywood. It is a kind of mahogany. "Mercanti." he said, "Aquatek," he added (more shorter winded than I.)

$45 for 1/2"
7 plys (tho the face veneers are very thin they are absolutely clear and blemish-free.)
It's the same hardwood thruout and guaranteed no voids. Rated durable and stable. Looks like it will machine excellently with a router

The Malaysians are probably making enemys of Earth First, still IMCO it's an amazing deal for 5 bucks more than the U. S. Plywood Assoc's in your face junk! And I wonder if what they'r doing to their heritage is any worse that what Georgia Pacific is doing to our forests! (just had to grouse a little bit more :mad: )

This Aquatek is a beautiful sheet of plywood!

I know the plywood you speak of and used a fair bit in my own restoration. It's actually called Meranti, not mercanti--just a slip of the tongue by your neighbor, I'm sure.

It is very nice stuff and well worth its modest price increase. It is a BS1088 plywood--the highest standard for marine plys. Meranti is similar to Okoume, though slightly heavier.

Here is some information on this high standard from a website; there are other informative links to be found there as well.

http://www.worldpanel.com/bs1088.htm

Tim

yeah Tim, he said meranti, I said mercanti. It's a whole new word, takes time to get it in there so it comes out right!

I went all the way over to MacBeaths Hardwood to get some. Got sheets whose face veneers are blonde. Had animated discussion with the salesman who said unconvincingly that it was the same, just a different color. I'll bet it's Ramin (is that right? I don't mean the noodles!) Like the lite color anyway. And the data on this stuff is impressive! For 60 bucks you can get 9 ply 1/2" stuff (Hydrotek) that's even more awesome.

That's real good ply you be talking bout now , the 9 ply 1/2" is a wunnerful stuff .
No measure twice & cut once , measure 5 or 6 times and cut once . I have to force myself to toss the scraps in the trash .