A Mahogany wood, is it good material to construct for the wooden boat hull? , am I in the right choice?

Question

i'm planning to construct a single hull wooden boat which has CAPACITY of 100 people. please help me to determine the good materials for my up coming project.

Answer 1

Yes it is a good wood for construction but very expensive. You should look into southern yellow pine with oak for ribs and stringers. Look up West Systems epoxy for great ideas on boat building with wood.

Current regulations do not favor wood for construction of passenger vessels, you could look into steel or aluminum construction also.

Answer 2

Really? 100 people?

All the classic runabouts are made from mahogany, typically Honduran or Philippine. On the stringers and the ribs white oak is very popular due to its rot resistant characteristics. But a boat that large, wow.

The Amistad was re-created in 1999 in the boat yard in Mystic, and I believe they used purple heartwood. I will look that one up. Mystic would be a great place to start for materials list and a plan.

Best of luck, this sounds like a huge project.

Answer 3

Forget the Mahogany - the cost is simply too high- it is a good wood for decks and cabins but for the hull you need good southern cypress to make it out of- virtually rot proof and lighter in weight then most woods- every homemade boat in the south is made out of cypress

Answer 4

Yes, phillipine mahogany is the preffered wood of boatbuilders, because of its rot resistance and durability/flexibility.  It is not, as some readers have suggested, "heavy and dense".   However, the cost to build a boat this size would be restrictive.  Look into ferro-concrete construction as an alternative.  Check out ferroboats.com  Keep in mind, boatbuilding is about displacement, not flotation.

Answer 5

I hope you have a lot of money. Mahogany is great for boats, but for 100 people? And single hull? Go for southern pine and cedar not mahogany.