Glen-L.com

I suppose this question is answered somewhere on this forum already but a search didn't quite answer my question so I guess I will ask it here.

Is black walnut an acceptable wood for the deck of my Zip? I am planning on building my wife a china cabinet with black walnut and the look of it has kind of been growing on me. But I don't want to do someting stupid. I will use marine fir as the subdeck.

Any ideas on this would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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Ches

I have not worked with black walnut. But, you can use just about anything on the deck, over a sub-base. Maintaining is a consideration. Maybe someone has experience with BW in an exterior application..

Bill

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Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
Tahoe 19 Build

I have used black walnut in a number of applications. I do not see any reason why you cannot use it on the deck over a subdeck.

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Dave

My Riviera build - the Midnight Cry Project

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Few things in the world measure up to the thrill and satisfaction of boating in a boat that you built.

there is 3 woods you dont hear about in boatbuilding, and I just dont know why that is.
walnut, hickory, and butternut
why not?

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God Bless our Troops; especially our Snipers

I saw a lot of walnut used on various boats at the ACBS show

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Dave

My Riviera build - the Midnight Cry Project

Video of Midnight in Action
Blog

Few things in the world measure up to the thrill and satisfaction of boating in a boat that you built.

From: "Folklore and the Sea", by Horace Beck – ISBN: 0-7858-1119-2
... Apple and holly were associated with faeries; oak and pine were trees of special import to pagan deities. Lest one think this is reaching too far, let us take a single example of ship construction from Chesapeake Bay as an illustration.
Black walnut is a rich, easily worked wood that is resistant to water. It grows straight and tall, and the trees are often three or four feet in diameter. Sometimes planks thirty feet long could be milled from the log and show scarcely a single knot. Although it is now scarce, it was at one time common along the shores of Chesapeake Bay. In fine, it would seem to be an ideal wood for the shipwright, but it was and is not.

An old waterman once bought a very handsome skiff there for five dollars. From the day he bought it he had nothing but trouble. It sank, broke loose, was stolen, leaked; and whenever he went out in it, things went wrong. He caught no fish, lost oars, a storm came up. Finally he decided to repaint it and stripped off some of the paint. The skiff was made of black walnut! He did the only thing he could do--sold it to a tourist."'

So bad is the reputation of black walnut in this area that the whole boat need not be made of the stuff to bring trouble. One man fashioned a seat out of it and was plagued with misfortune. A crank boat was set aright when it was discovered that a squirrel had stashed some black walnuts aboard. Then there is a story of a skipper on one of the islands bound to Annapolis with cargo. An old lady asked him to take her along. He agreed and she came aboard with a paper bag. Scarcely had they got out into the bay when a violent gale sprang up. No matter which way the captain tried to go, the wind hauled against them and the sea grew wilder until it looked as if they would swamp. The captain knew that something was wrong and in desperation asked the old woman what she had in the bag. "Black walnuts." Instantly the skipper seized the bag and heaved it overboard. The storm abated and they landed safely in Annapolis a few hours later.

To the folk, the black walnut is a tree of ill omen. On the beach it is said to draw lightning, kill cattle and burn houses. The bark and the nuts stain your hands permanently. Somehow it is associated with the devil. The reasons for much of this lies in the tree. The wood is odd-colored-- purplish-- and heavier than many other woods. Because of its nature it grows tall and often in isolation. As a result, it is particularly subject to being hit by lightning. Since cows have a way of standing under trees in thunderstorms and these trees offer the most shelter, many a critter has been electrocuted under them. When near a house, lightning often is deflected from the tree and into the building. Just as a dog with a bad name gains the reputation of being a sheep killer, so does the black walnut become the scapegoat for every miserable boatbuilder and lubberly sailor in the area.

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

On a similar note, why dont you see green race cars?

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God Bless our Troops; especially our Snipers

They blend in with the grass on the infield & they can't find them!!

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Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream

i have always heard you dont use walnut because it is casket wood but that just ties in with all the other myths you here about stuff as far as the hickory the only reasons i can think of is it is very heavy and it it splits very easy and is a pain to work with

I am curious if you went ahead with the Black Walnut or not? I have been pondering this myself as I currently have a couple of Walnut logs on the way to the mill. More than likely I will build furniture with it but I just can't seem to get the boat build idea out of my head.

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, you got an electrical problem!

hmm you going to have them dry it as well, I love walnut and working with it nothing like the deep dark brown tone to it. and it works well.

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Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
http://www.facebook.com/Home.Made.Boat.Building
Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

I have not yet got that far on my Zip that I have been made to decide if I will use black walnut. I am not superstitious so I might use it.

I plan on picking up my bottom paint today in Edmonton, AB. And then maybe flip the boat later this month.

I, too, love the grain of black walnut. I am building my wife a china cabinet with it and am very impressed so far. And it seems nice to work with although I have to mill each board straight.

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Ches

RED ELM !!GREAT LOOKING WOOD ! BAD REP. ! also ! ive tested it > it passed ! bye > DONE ................

Hickory ........ax handles ...hammers .......( red elm .....history in boat building ...........tough

I have built my frames from Hickory from my farm It is another from of iron wood but it is very straight grained I have not found it to be to hard to work with. but I am not going to use it on any piece of the boat where I will have to do allot of planing and beveling

_________________
Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
http://www.facebook.com/Home.Made.Boat.Building
Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H