Basswood Gunwales?

[Moonman]

Anyone ever use basswood gunwales? I know some guys have used sitka and even western red cedar so I was wondering about basswood.

Thanks,

Moonman.

[reinbilt]

Moonman, Years ago I used alot of basswood for carving fish and ducks but don't think it would be a good choice for outwalls or inwalls for that matter. I've used sitka spruce on two boats with good results but that was pushing it.

[Tom in MN]

No but I have thought about it. I was just contemplating building the Wee Lasie II for my wife with the sole intent of making the lightest possible boat at a reasonable price. I do not see any reason why it would not work. Basswood is strong and flexible, but certainly softer than ash or most other hardwoods. I was going to use it to make the seat, yoke, decks and gunnels on my wife's canoe. I have made a couple of canoes out of basswood (hulls) and it should work fine. If you are going to hang your seats from the inwales, may want to thicken them up a bit. You are not really out much if it doesn't work, just take the gunnels off and replace them with ash, or whatever. I would use fasteners to attach them to the canoe instead of epoxy for this very reason. You will also have to scarf them as the longest lengths I can find are about 12'.

[Denis]

Tom

I would be interested an any pointers you might wish to share in using basswood to construct a Endeavour Kayak. I have built two boats out of white cedar but would like to build a third possibly using basswood because of price. I can likely find rough stock at one of the smaller mills north of me and have produced my own planking before. Any pointers or tips would be appreciated.

Denis

[Tom in MN]

You can most definately get away with thinner strips. In fact, I think basswood works better when cut at 7/32 or 3/16 of an inch. I find that it machines very well and is much stronger than cedar, such as the delicate edges of the cove. It is also more resistant to sanding, and takes a bit more effort to fair down the hull vs. cedar. However, I personally like it for these reasons and would recommend it to anyone. By going with thinner strips, you basically eliminate any weight difference.

The drawbacks of using basswood do not outweigh the price savings for me, that is why I use it a lot in canoe building. The one drawback is the length you can buy boards. I can find them clear 12'-13' long and that is about it.

Good luck!

[Doug]

Basswood is a fairly soft and bland wood?
But can be machined nicely and is pretty well the standard wood for carvers.


Doug

[Juneaudave]

Anyone ever use basswood gunwales? I know some guys have used sitka and even western red cedar so I was wondering about basswood.

Thanks,

Moonman.

Back to the gunwales...you can use a lot of different woods, especially if you use some care in handleing your canoe. Given my use, I wouldn't be hesitant to use basswood on the gunwales, espeically if you put a hardwood "bumper" strip either horizontally through the middle or vertically along the outside. You might not be able to see it, but this Alaska Yellow Cedar Bob's has Port Orford cedar gunwales with a strip of mahogany laminated in the center that matches the accent stripe.