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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Cockpit teak selection

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/19/2012 : 08:23:11

Does anyone know whether Afrormosia ($6 per boardfoot) performs as well as "real" teak ($25 per board foot) under a coat of Cetol?

I have another supplier with better prices, but Noah's has a good writeup on each type of lumber:

http://www.noahsboatbuilding.com/items.asp?Cc=AFROMOSIA&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=
http://www.noahsboatbuilding.com/items.asp?Cc=Lumber%2DTeak&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

I am making a mounting plate for some cockpit electronics and will need a fairly good sized hunk of whatever I decide to go with, but i fear that the afrormosia will be more prone to warping, checking, or some other unforeseen issues.

If the price difference is simply driven by demand, then I will be getting the cheaper wood for this, but if there are any quality issues folks are aware of, I'd really appreciate hearing from you.

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - Prospector on 03/19/2012 08:31:00

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 10:48:13

This is from [URL="http://www.higginshardwoods.com/products.php/specialtyhardwoods/afrormosia"]Higgins Hardwood[/URL]

Afrormosia closely resembles teak and is so often used as a teak substitute that it is sometimes referred to as African teak. It is prized for more than simply its resemblance to teak - it is also valued for character and properties all its own. It is grown in West Africa, primarily Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Afrormosia is suitable for many applications, among them veneers, paneling, boat building, stairs, flooring, high-end joinery, cabinetmaking, farm implements, decks and marine piling.

Afrormosia is a heavy and dense wood that is extremely durable and very resistant to termites. This wood has a wide range of uses both for interior and exterior applications. It contains tannin, a substance that has a tendency to cause blue stains. If used near metals in wet conditions, such as in boatbuilding, it will cause corrosion or dark staining.

Sawdust from Afrormosia can be an eye irritant. Work this wood in conditions that provide good ventilation.

Afrormosia dries slowly with little degrade and small movement in service. The wood has medium resistance to tools. Experts recommend a 20 degree cutting angle to avoid raising the grain when planing. Tungsten carbide-tipped saws are recommended to avoid tool wear. Prebore for nailing and screwing. Afrormosia glues well and finishes excellently.

Wood is heavy and dense, has high bending strength, medium stiffness, high crushing strength, moderate bending classification. The wood may distort during steaming.
--------------------------------
It is also listed [URL="http://albaraawood.com/download/woodrange.pdf"]in this PDF[/URL] as being used in marine decking and for other exterior marine purposes.

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More information, this time from [url="http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood02.htm"]ConnectedLines.com[/URL]

Wood Properties of Afrormosia
Afrormosia Amount of Figure
Intermediate

Afrormosia Amount of Natural Luster
Medium

Afrormosia Availability of Wood
Limited

Afrormosia Available As Lumber
Yes

Afrormosia Available as Veneer
Yes

Afrormosia Available only in small sizes
No

Afrormosia Bending Strength
High

Afrormosia Blunting of Tool Blades
Moderate

Afrormosia Botanical Name
Pericopsis elata

Afrormosia Carving
Good, easy to carve

Afrormosia Clear Finish or Varnish
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Color of Wood
Yellow or Golden Brown

Afrormosia Contrast between growth rings
Diffuse Porous

Afrormosia Crushing Strength
High

Afrormosia Decorative Figure
Yes

Afrormosia Density
High

Afrormosia Drilling
Good

Afrormosia Fill before Finishing
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Gluing
Good

Afrormosia Grain
Mostly Straight

Afrormosia Growth Ring Pattern Plainsawn
Noticeable or Distinct growth ring

Afrormosia Growth Ring Pattern Quartersawn
Noticeable or distinct growth ring stripe, ribbon or flake pattern

Afrormosia Hand Tooling
Very Easy

Afrormosia Hardness
Hard, difficult to dent

Afrormosia Hardwood or Softwood
Hardwood

Afrormosia Harmful Properties
May cause dermatological and respiratory problems

Afrormosia Interlocked Grain
Yes

Afrormosia Kiln-dried Shrinkage
Low

Afrormosia Machine Tools
Easy to Very Easy

Afrormosia Mortising
Good

Afrormosia Movement after drying
Low

Afrormosia Nail Holding
Good- Nails are fairly difficult to pull out

Afrormosia Nailing
Tends to split wood - Requires pre-drilled pilot hole

Afrormosia Natural Durability
Very durable

Afrormosia Number of Knots
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Painting
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Planing
Fair

Afrormosia Polishing
Fair

Afrormosia Pounds per cubic foot maximum
44

Afrormosia Pounds per cubic foot minimum
44

Afrormosia Reacts with Iron Fasteners or Hardware
Yes

Afrormosia Sanding
Good

Afrormosia Sawing
Low cutting resistance

Afrormosia Screw Holding
Good - Fairly difficult to remove screws

Afrormosia Screwing
Tends to split wood - Requires pre-drilled pilot holes

Afrormosia Shaping
Good

Afrormosia Size of Knots
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Size of Pores
Insufficient Data Available

Afrormosia Specific Gravity
Very high

Afrormosia Specific Gravity maximum
.69

Afrormosia Specific Gravity minimum
.69

Afrormosia Staining
Fair - May stain unevenly or change colors

Afrormosia Steam Bending
Satisfactory

Afrormosia Stiffness
Moderate

Afrormosia Surface Preparation for Finishing
No

Afrormosia Texture of the Wood
Moderately Fine

Afrormosia Toughness
Moderate

Afrormosia Turning
Good

Afrormosia Weight
Heavy

Afrormosia Wood Defects
Few drying defects

Afrormosia Work Notes
Hard mineral deposits require sharp or carbide tipped saw knives

Afrormosia Use for Boxes, Crates or Pallets
no

Afrormosia Use for Carving
no

Afrormosia Use for Cooperage
no

Afrormosia Use for Decorative Veneer
YES

Afrormosia Use for Flooring
YES

Afrormosia Use for Furniture
YES

Afrormosia Use for Handles
no

Afrormosia Use for Heavy Construction
no

Afrormosia Use for Inlay
no

Afrormosia Use for Interior Finish
YES

Afrormosia Use for Light Construction
no

Afrormosia Use for Marine Applications
YES

Afrormosia Use for Marquetry
no

Afrormosia Use for Millwork
YES

Afrormosia Use for Models and Patterns
no

Afrormosia Use for Musical Instruments
no

Afrormosia Use for Novelties
no

Afrormosia Use for Secondary Furniture Components
no

Afrormosia Use for Shingles
no

Afrormosia Use for Sports Equipment
no

Afrormosia Use for Turnery
no

Afrormosia Use for Woodenware
no

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 16:46:07

What does "a fairly good sized hunk of wood" mean? I might be able to help out.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 16:48:41

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Happy D
 What does "a fairly good sized hunk of wood" mean? I might be able to help out.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I could use a 12x14x1/2 chunk of teak.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5371 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 16:56:46

For that size I'd go with teak.
You may also want to try mahogany - I've used it in the cockpit and under a few coats of honey-colored Cetol I'd challenge most people to tell me which is which.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 18:56:14

I like working with mahogany. When I was a kid, my dad restored an old Yellow Jacket boat...it had a mahogany dashboard buried under many layers of paint. He stripped it down and rescued that dash. With brass trimmed instruments, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 20:25:24

I'm looking at about the same size as joe - need to do a gauge delete, so I'm thinking backing plates for gauges on both sides of the companionway for symmetry.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 05:54:08

Is 12x14 your actual, finished size, or just what you need to be able to cut out the pieces? The reason I ask is that you can frequently find teak furniture on Craigslist, or even Freecycle, for very reasonable prices. You might be able to take the pieces from the furniture and glue them up to get the parts you need.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 06:30:42

I've been watching there too Jim - just be careful that what you are buying really is teak, and not teak veneer over particle board.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 06:36:35

I'm also doing a guage delete. I have 2 big 4" holes on top of each other I need to cover. The 12x14 is a rough size but accurate within an inch or two of the finished size.

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 16:08:14

I think if I had two large holes to fill I would be inclined to fill them with core wood, fiberglass and top it off with gelcoat so it looked like it never had holes. It's a lot of work but then you're starting with a clean slate.
The biggest problem is the inside gelcoat is finished in texture and will be impossible to match nicely.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 17:11:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Happy D
 The biggest problem is the inside gelcoat is finished in texture and will be impossible to match nicely.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Damn....make that 2 pieces of teak......

Edited by - on

Sam001
Vice Commodore

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USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 18:21:22

remember teak is teak
we love it we hate it but it is still teak
and just about last for - ever!

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2012 : 06:29:44

Yes, teak is a wonderful wood.....but mahogany is also stunning when worked. It has a beautiful grain and is so warm and soft when varnished. Doesn't have the staying power of teak for the outside stuff though, but inside can be stunning.

Edited by - on

Sam001
Vice Commodore

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USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2012 : 07:04:29

I agree I made a coffee table out of a "slab" of mahogany and it is beautiful.
It took a while to sand it down to the surface I wanted.

Edited by - on

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