After a beer or three the other night, I was thinking about the use of balsa wood in some high performance hulls and wondered if anyone had ever used cypress?
Fairly lightweight and the biggest plus is that its naturally rot resistant.
Any thoughts?

I don't know why wood is used at all. It's a ticking time bomb. I see some great deals on boats but then I have to stop and wonder if the hulls are fully wood cored and the transom and stringers are wood.

Cypress is nearly four times denser then balsa, that weight would add up quick as a hull core. Most times balsa is used because its cheap but it does make a good stiff core, theres a reason Pete still uses it in Skaters. If installed/used properly its fine. Not up there with Core-Cell but still a good alternative, its the "care of" that usually causes issues.

I'm looking at express fishing boats, and many of the premier yacht builders use a Cold Molded process. This is a little off topic but I thought it would be interesting for you. Also as Glassdave has said an understanding of the process and how to take care of issues is very important. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this process considering the boat would always be in the water..

What is cold-molding?

We start with high quality cedar veneer stock and a form over which the veneers can be bent. These veneers are applied on the diagonal with each subsequent layer epoxied at right angles to the previous one for strength, stiffness and stability. Each layer is then vacuum bagged before the epoxy sets. This process allows the vacuum pressure to uniformly clamp the entire hull thereby eliminating the possibility of voids in the laminate. The final result is a rigid, one piece structure made completely out of wood, not fiberglass.
How does a cold-molded hull compare to a fiberglass hull?

Wood has a far superior strength to weight ratio than does fiberglass. Wood is a far better insulator against sound than fiberglass. Wood is far more resistant to fatigue than fiberglass.

How can I tell the difference?

The cold-molded wooden hull is lighter with a more quiet and comfortable ride than its typical fiberglass counterpart. It requires a smaller engine for the same performance.

What about maintenance?

Unlike traditional wooden boat construction where the hull planking shrinks and swells each season, a cold-molded boat requires no more annual maintenance than an aluminum or fiberglass boat. The rigid one-piece hull structure provides an excellent base for any paint system.

What about rot?
We start with decay resistant wood species' and completely seal with epoxy. The result is a solid, impervious structure. With proper maintenance, rot won't have a chance to get started.

these are said to be some of the highest quality and extremely durable one can buy . . . .


http://www.paulmanncustomboats.com/