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View Full Version : How to identify treated marine lumber?



H2O
01-24-2007, 12:18 PM
Hello,
In shopping for used boats I have looked at several recently with moderate to severe floor and stringer rot. Doing the research I found that many builders did not begin using marine grade wood and ply until fairly recently (if at all).
In a situation where the info is not available from the manufacturer, is there any way for my to tell whether the wood is "Marine Grade" in a 10 or 15 year old boat. i.e. one that has seen water and weather, and you can't get a good look at the floor.
If I drilled a small hole somewhere (under the seat or engine hatch) would there be any way to tell from the shavings?
Thanks for the help?

YeLLowBoaT
01-24-2007, 12:23 PM
you really don't want to use "presure threated wood" in a boat...
Way to many issuse with it.
best way to tell if the wood is solid is to poke it with a al and thumb it something like the end of a skrew driver and listen.

H2O
01-24-2007, 02:25 PM
Good suggestion there Yellowboat. So if it's good it should squeak or drag a little, and if it's soft - nothing. Correct?

YeLLowBoaT
01-24-2007, 03:21 PM
it should sound solid... if its soft, sounds funky, rattles, makes a sqeak, and ETC its ether delaminating or has rot.
make sure you check around where any thing that has been skrewed into the floor( seats, foot throttles, batterys, gas tanks) and around the stringers where they meet the transom/floor and where the motor is bolted too for rot. Also check the back corners and around the drian pluge/bilage area for rot. those are the most commen place to find it.

jimslade
02-12-2007, 06:35 PM
Marine ply is usually a okume wood. It will be slightly oily in feel. There is nothing wrong with using well dried out pressure treated plywood, There is a lot of misinformation out there. Facts please only.