Chesapeake 17 & marine ply ...advice please

Hi all, Please note that i live in Scotland. I'm an experienced woodworker, but first time boat builder. I've bought the plans for the Chesapeake with the intention of starting construction shortly. Unfortunately i've encountered a problem - i can get marine grade ply ok, but the smallest thickness is 6mm. I can't find anyone within driving distance who can supply smaller and having it delivered would double the construction costs of the yak. Question - can i get away with building the boat completely in 6mm or should i use thin exterior grade ply for the deck? Thanks, Marc

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RE: Chesapeake 17 & marine ply ...advice please

Weight aside... you can bend ply wood.  Here is a picture of my SOF where I used 6mm for the coaming, steamed it and bent it.  The cockpit bend was actually done courtesy low pressure weather system that brought high humidity.  This bend is much more tight than the deck C17.  Since it will be impractical to build a steam box to hold that, you can always pour boiling water over the wood as you work it.  It will be tough and the flexibility is as much the type of ply as the thickness.  I have two pieces of 6mm, one Meranti and Okoume, the Okoume is 100% more flexible but more so on it’s with and not it’s length.  Go to the yard and have a look at the ply they are selling, check out its flexibility.

Coaming using 6mm

As for the weight, I googled and found that the weight is about 50% greater… kinda makes sence since 4-6 is 50% thicker… big question is how much of the boat’s weight is wood… let’s assume that you end up overall 50% greater, then the 17 goes from a 45lb light weight to a 67.5lb middle weight.  Is that a weight you are prepared to live with?  More importantly, is that a weight you are prepared to hoist up on top of your car every time you want to go for a paddle?  I am really appreciating my 30lb SOF yak every time I go for a solo paddle.  The C18  (once she's done) I think I will save for when there will be a helping hand available.

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