what type of wood to use?

hello everyone! been lurking for a while. i'm in the process of building a 14' jet jon. Started out as a fiberglass explorer saltwater flat bottom boat. i have the exterior and fiberglass work completed, and i'm about to tackle the interior.

My main question is, what type of wood do I use? i see people using untreated 2x2's on here, and untreated plywood... is this safe? is there something i should do to keep the wood from rotting under the carpet?

thanks in advance!

:WELCOME:

Let's see some pictures!

Use regular wood and stain it with some poly and you should be good to go!

Welcome to TinBoats majkowskid. Jim's right...we need pictures to get through the day. :LOL2:

He's also right about the wood treatment. Spar urethane is what many of us have used with great success.

You have a fiberglass hull so you can use pressure treated wood.

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

You have a fiberglass hull so you can use pressure treated wood.

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X2

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

You have a fiberglass hull so you can use pressure treated wood.

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YES!

And still seal it - I used a two part epoxy sealer and suggest that for any boat used in the salt. Spar urethane will not give the correct seal for salt water marine applications. The last thing you want is rotten wood under the glass

thanks for the info guys. i'll try to get some pics as i can. i got the boat flipped the other day and on the trailer. the exterior is complete. i cut the bench seats out of the inside because they took up way too much room. got a bit more glass work to do inside. the inside isn't as pretty as the outside, but once i paint over it it will be ok. there's going to be a bunch of fabrication to cover up the engine when its mounted. i figure within the next week the engine will be at least mounted inside the boat, and i can start mocking up the flooring and seating arrangement. God only knows how i'm going to steer this thing. i've got an idea, but it may have me sitting up way too high in the boat. i want to be centered over the engine, but i don't know if it'll be possible.
i tell you what though, it looks pretty cool sitting on the trailer with a jet pump sticking out the rear. i think it'll turn some heads on the road.

here's a teaser pic. it's going to take me a while to finish as i have a lot of other things going on in life (going through the big "d" right now). this boat project is the only thing keeping me sane.

the back end where you see the paint overspray will be painted grey with easypoxy paint. thats what i painted the bottom with. coated it with 4 coats of clear, although it wasn't necessary. this pic was taken before i wet sanded it. it looks much shinier now. paint isn't perfect, as it was my first time EVER painting anything with a gun. but, for a 12.99 paint gun from harbor freight, i think it's pretty decent.

majkowskid said:

here's a teaser pic. it's going to take me a while to finish as i have a lot of other things going on in life (going through the big "d" right now). this boat project is the only thing keeping me sane.

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I hear ya, Dallas sucks. :mrgreen:

Looking good, and good luck with the other.

Using pressure treated ply from the big box lumber yards for boat building is like rolling the dice. Sometimes you win...sometimes you lose.

It all comes down to the moisture content of the stock they have on hand. If the moisture content is high any encapsulation you try, polyurethane, epoxy...whatever, is going to fail as the wood dries out and shrinks. Your coating will crack and fail. If what you buy is dry there will be no problem.

So how dry is dry? Places like Greenwood Products ( https://greenwoodproducts.com/store/marine-plywood/boat-panel.html ) don't sell anything less than 12% moisture by weight for marine applications.

That being said, I think it is a waste of money to buy pressure treated specialty wood if you intend to encapsulate it. My encapsulation material of choice is epoxy...and believe it or not it is more important to be picky if your intended use is in freshwater. As I understand it there are many more biological threats to wood rot that live in freshwater and can't live in salt.

Go Fish said:

Using pressure treated ply from the big box lumber yards for boat building is like rolling the dice. Sometimes you win...sometimes you lose.

It all comes down to the moisture content of the stock they have on hand. If the moisture content is high any encapsulation you try, polyurethane, epoxy...whatever, is going to fail as the wood dries out and shrinks. Your coating will crack and fail. If what you buy is dry there will be no problem.

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All wood, including treated lumber is marked as to the grade/specifications it meets. Look for the markings or ask the sales associate for help.
Realistically the only time mositure content is a problem is when you use a product not designed for wood. Polyurathane IS designed to seal wood, so is outdoor paint.