I have samples of Paulownia, it seems to be between cedar and balsa in weight and strength. It was not easy to find in US, but these guys are growing and selling in S Carolina. Would be interesting for a light build car topper, probably should be glassed over wear zones.
I think that paulownia is only sensational for private boat builders if they combine the material with a suitable construction. In my opinion, it is of little use to build the same boat as in plywood. For the weight of good plywood (which is very expensive), you get a laminated wood panel that is 2.5 times thicker. This wood can be butt-glued instead of being joined with stitch and glue. That's less than 10% of the effort, so it's ideal for Bolger boxes or, in more complex forms, for people who are good carpenters. Wood protection is also much easier: oil the inside with a good non-slip decking oil, coat the outside once with epoxy, and then apply good house paint if the boat is not constantly in the water. Done. If you have to drag the boat over rocks, you should coat the outside with epoxy and fiberglass. And again, house paint.
I have samples of Paulownia, it seems to be between cedar and balsa in weight and strength. It was not easy to find in US, but these guys are growing and selling in S Carolina. Would be interesting for a light build car topper, probably should be glassed over wear zones.
I think that paulownia is only sensational for private boat builders if they combine the material with a suitable construction. In my opinion, it is of little use to build the same boat as in plywood. For the weight of good plywood (which is very expensive), you get a laminated wood panel that is 2.5 times thicker. This wood can be butt-glued instead of being joined with stitch and glue. That's less than 10% of the effort, so it's ideal for Bolger boxes or, in more complex forms, for people who are good carpenters. Wood protection is also much easier: oil the inside with a good non-slip decking oil, coat the outside once with epoxy, and then apply good house paint if the boat is not constantly in the water. Done. If you have to drag the boat over rocks, you should coat the outside with epoxy and fiberglass. And again, house paint.
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