Baltic Birch Aircraft Plywood?

What do you think of this for interior parts (fly line deck, bow shelf, top of front seat, tray bottoms on seats, etc.) A friend of mine has lots of this stuff. At first I was against using it but it is very high quality, the boat will be stored inside, used sporadically, and lives in SW Idaho where it is dry. Any thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by tungsten on October 11, 2015 at 3:06pm

BB is quite heavy,i assume its marine grade or water resistant  anyway?You can boil a small piece for 30 minutes and see if it falls apart.If it passes the boil test i dont see why you cant use it.

Permalink Reply by Marc Tittle on October 12, 2015 at 11:49am

I built a stitch and glue nevills boat out of Baltic Birch and so far so good. Purchase was based more on availability, but the boat is wrapped in glass and has multi coats of Brightside paint. Obviously, hardeware screws create an opportunity for rot but I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

Permalink Reply by CWarmouth on October 12, 2015 at 11:54am

Nice. Thank you guys. Availability is the key here too. You would think that there would be somewhere in Boise that a guy could buy marine plywood. Nope. A couple lumber yards can get it but all they are doing is ordering it online from the same places that we would order it and then marking it up. It's kinda crazy that a single piece of fir plywood is $37 and the shipping for it is $300. Sheesh.

I'll try the boil test and see how it goes.

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on October 12, 2015 at 2:08pm

I used some in my boat for tray bottoms, the piece I laminated with 6 ounce glass and epoxy is just fine. The piece I just coated with a clear finish is starting to have issues. It hasn't had much sun directly but has been indirectly under a cover. A piece I left outside is turning black with mold. It has had nothing done to it.

Rick N

Permalink Reply by CWarmouth on October 12, 2015 at 2:12pm

For the sake of clarification, is this aircraft plywood you guys are using or just interior grade Baltic birch?

Permalink Reply by Marc Tittle on October 12, 2015 at 5:46pm

Interior grade purchased at local specialty lumber supply, essentially used combo of both 1/2" and 1/4".  I can't recall actually thickness sold under.

Permalink Reply by CWarmouth on October 12, 2015 at 6:02pm

Wow. And that is a cool looking boat. Got any more pics of it?

Permalink Reply by Marc Tittle on October 12, 2015 at 6:17pm

It's a crazy boat, replica of the first commercial Grand Canyon trip in 1938

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Permalink Reply by CWarmouth on October 12, 2015 at 6:24pm

Suhhh-weeet!

That is just awesome! Where did you come up with the plans for that?

Permalink Reply by Marc Tittle on October 12, 2015 at 6:31pm

Andy at High Desert Dories, there are only three cataract boats that still float, the rest are in museums or private collections. It's fun to get out, but there are way better designs to build.

Permalink Reply by alan wernstrum on December 10, 2015 at 12:41pm

This is a late post so I am unsure if it's valid or not.  I would use the birch ply but would protect it with a penatrating epoxy such as a href="http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/>" target="_blank">http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/>; and then a coat of your favorite epoxy for assembly/sealing surfaces. The gentleman who owns smith and co. is quite knowlegable and could answer any questions on the subject that you may have. He has been a very good source for me in the past. Hope this helps. Alan

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