Photo by Marissa Daeger on Unsplash
Improve your odds of getting the best-quality wood by selecting large-dimension stock and ripping the boards to the needed dimensions.
I sometimes forget that skimping on wood quality, even when tackling simple carpentry projects, is a false economy, and what holds true for everyday work holds just as strongly for boatbuilding. I recently built sliding doors for a boat shed, and in order to reduce the hanging weight chose 2×3 framing rather than using 2×4s.
Although I know that 2×3 studs are generally cut from quite small trees, I let my pocketbook win over rational thought and picked through the pile at the lumberyard, choosing what at that moment were reasonably straight 2×3 studs 8′ long. As I began assembling the frames and attaching T-111 plywood in my heated shop, the partially dried 2×3s began twisting and warping. Long story short: I now have permanently warped doors.
I can live with slightly warped doors on a shed, but wood joinery in boat construction has much finer limits. Uncontrollable warping or twisting could spell a ruined boat. Selecting the best quality will save headaches later.