Boatbuilding Timber: Australia

Boatbuilding timber: Australia


The following includes lists of timber that may be suitable for boatbuilding. We are not experts on all of the various types of wood that are available. We have taken advantage of sources on the web for the information included. When appropriate, we have included the source and a link if a web source. To search the web we have used the following search format in Google: Australia + timber + boat building.


From the Forum:
Check out www.trendtimbers.com.au/, they have a downloadable species list which details the proerties of many species. Particularly if it's suitable for boat building. The place is at Windsor NSW. ...Gravel

The following is from the trendtimers website:

  1. Australian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon [Leguminosae])
    Australian Blackwood has high crushing strength and resistance to impact. Australian Blackwood has good bending properties. Australian Blackwood works satisfactorily with hand tools. Australian Blackwood nails and screws well. Australian Blackwood weighs 665kg/m3 Australian Blackwood ranges from straw to greyish-white in colour. Australian Blackwood is a very decorative wood used for cabinet making, ornamental turning, musical instruments, gunstocks, billiard table and boatbuilding.

  2. Merbau (Intsia bijuga & palembanica):
    Merbau has a moderately coarse but even texture with an oily feel to it. Merbau is heavy and hard with medium stiffness, bending strength and resistance to shock loads. Merbau weighs 900kg/m3 when dry. Merbau is yellowish to orange-brown when newly cut but matures to brown to dark red-brown. Merbau is used in furniture, quality joinery, kitchen cabinets, boat building, flooring, heavy construction and sleepers.

  3. Sassafras (Sassafras officinale & S. albidum [Lauraceae])
    Sassafras has a medium resistance to cutting edges, tools should be kept sharp. Sassafras works well with both hand and machine tools. Sassafras is also suitable for steam bending. Sassafras is pale brown but on exposure darkens to a dull orange-brown. It has an interesting grain pattern. Sassafras weighs 450kg/m3 Sassafras is used for furniture, window frames, doors, mouldings, boat building, kitchen cabinets, boxes, posts, fencing and turning.

  4. Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna [Myrtaceae])
    Sydney Blue Gum is hard, heavy, tough and strong with reasonable steam bending properties. Sydney Blue Gum is comparatively easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Sydney Blue Gum glues, screws and nails well. Sydney Blue Gum weighs 900kg/m3 Sydney Blue Gum is usually pink to dark red Sydney Blue Gum is used for cabinet making, flooring, boat building and general construction.

  5. Zebrano (Microberlinia brazzavillensis and M. bisulcata [Leguminosae])
    Zebrano is a hard, dense and heavy wood with high strength properties and very high stiffness. Zebrano works well with hand tools and in most machining operations. Planing can be tricky since interlocked grain can tear badly. Sanding is advised for final finish. Zebrano weighs 740kg/m3 Zebrano is a light golden-yellow or pale brown heartwood with narrow darker streaks or veins that range from dark brown to near black. Zebrano’s principal use is a decorative veneer, used in cabinetwork as inlay, crossbandings, panelling or marquetry. Zebrano is also used for furniture, turning, sculpture and boat building.

Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) Has been mentioned on the Forum as a boat building lumber.
Durability: Heartwood is rated as very durable and highly resistant to termite attack. Reported to be resistant to marine borer attack.
Preservation: Rated as extremely resistant to preservative treatments (heartwood).
Uses: Dock and harbor work and other heavy construction, flooring, railroad crossties.