OSB stitch and glue boat

[And-Con]

Recently, I was in a local marina, and saw this gorgeous boat, Miss Osb. She was bar none the prettiest boat in the marina. From more than 10 feet her hull sides appeared to be burled walnut, but then upon a closer look, they were oriented strand board, finished to a mirror shine. My jaw dropped.

So with this all being stated, I was wondering what ya'll would think of using osb for a stitch and glue boat. I would most likely pick a kayak, but at this point I'm still up in the air about the actual vessel. I have a set of plans for Tornado, a stitch and glue catamaran that have been staring at me for a while, just waiting for me to bite and start trying to build.

I'm told osb can be had in sizes as small as 1/4 inch, which would be pretty good for my intentions, but I have yet to find any osb less than 1/2 inch locally. The hull would be glassed over, so I'm no more concerned about water intrusion than I am with any other cored boat, but what other prep would be necessary to the wood. I've never tried making osb shine. Actually if someone had mentioned it before I saw Miss Osb, I would had compared it to putting make up on a pig. Weight wise I think it would be on par with traditional plywood, and the same for strength. I have never tried scarfing osb, but it should work like plywood. I think it would be a generally comparable material, but have a little more homework to do.

Is this a crazy idea, or is it just crazy enough to work?

Also, for those interested in seeing her, http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/78476-post1151.html has some great pics of her, sorry about linking to another forum, iboats is by far the best.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

Wow, that's impressive. Up to now, wouldn't have thought OSB was suitable for marine uses. I'd give it a shot.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

That's awesome.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

Yup, very impressive. Who knew? I have built a stitch and glue rowboat utilizing a form with hand layed veneer ply in a vac bag. Great experience and the results were great.

I wonder if the Miss OSB owner had an inside track with his association with the plywood company regarding strength/longevity.

I do see numerous coatings of epoxy/glass to build up a mirror surface but if Miss OSB is the result it would be worth it as long as it isn't me doing the work!

Scarfing may be interesting in a 1/4 inch thick piece. At that thickness I don't believe the strength would be as good as regular ply. That is where the glassing improves strength.

If you do this keep the thread going so we can watch.

Good luck, Albert

 

[Mohabba]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

nice boat

googled some more info
www.boatcan.com/showboat.php?ad=1242160836

 

[ondarvr]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

I would say this probably wasn't "off the shelf" OSB from Home Depot, but most anything will survive when encased in epoxy. I've seen floors and some other things done this way also.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

My take on this is that it's a kind of neat stunt, but that's all it is.

OSB is weaker than many cheap types of plywood, is less dimensionally stable when exposed to moisture, is heavier, and generally is an inferior material compared to other supplies at the same price.

It'll make a usable boat when covered with epoxy and glass, a less durable but usable boat when covered with poly resin and glass, but it'll be heavier than another boat made from epoxy or poly and plywood.

More to the point, the cost of the plywood in a composite boat is a small fraction of the overall cost. Using OSB instead of quality AC ply will save you about $20 a sheet.

For example, a 17 foot boat built from plans from Bateau.com needs about $1000 worth of epoxy and fiberglass (minimum, assuming no waste), about $2000 worth of marine plywood or $1000 worth of quality AC ply, about $300 worth of tools, mixing stuff, gloves, etc.

Assuming you don't paint it or need any special hardware for mounting engines, any internal fuel tanks, etc. You're looking at a cost of about $2500 minimum plus 80-150 hours of construction time.

Building with OSB instead of solid AC ply would cut the price to about $2100. It might also increase the labor required since you'd have to adapt plans to the strength (or lack of) and characteristics of the OSB.

Do you really want to spend all that time and money to make a boat with inferior materials?

So this is one of those "do it because it's cool" ideas, not "do it to save money".

I might try something like this if: A) I had a lot of free time with nothing to do (like in Alaska in winter or something) B) I had free fiberglass and resin available and C)I didn't want to sell or otherwise get value out of the finished product.

Erik

 

[Bondo]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

My take on this is that it's a kind of neat stunt, but that's all it is.

Ayuh,... Cute boat,+ I agree with Erik...

The OSB, aside from providing the Look, only provides enough support to hold the epoxy,+ glass in place til it sets....
It's being use as a molding material,+ little more...

 

[And-Con]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

So after a little more thought on the topic-I had been kicking it around for a while before posting it-it has been placed firmly on the back burner. If I were to pick it up I would build a much less substantial craft then the catamaran, perhaps a canoe or kayak, but without an "in" at an osb company, I have little initiative to wow people with unconventional use of material. Maybe if they sent me a fat check to sail my custom osb boat around and get attention for their product it would be otherwise, but I don't imagine anyone would do that. I was never intending to use osb to save money; when building a boat, cutting corners to save a few bucks rarely works out well, and I am well aware of this.

Thanks for the input and I hope I am not the only one around here who would like to see that swim platform ripped off.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

My good friend did the floors in his house with osb and everybody said he was nuts. The finish looks to be about an inch deep and it looks really good.

 

[Ned L]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

"Miss OSB" was custom designed & custom built with the intention of using that mahogany OSB material (the designer & builder highly respected) . She was custom built for the owners of the company (in Canada I think) that manufacture the OSM material. So, yes, in this situation it works, because EVERYTHING was planned around it. There was an article in a recent copy of "Woodenboat" magazine about Saint Sustom Boats, and it discussed "Miss OSB". - Quite the boat.

 

[jonesg]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

"Miss OSB" was custom designed & custom built with the intention of using that mahogany OSB material (the designer & builder highly respected) . She was custom built for the owners of the company (in Canada I think) that manufacture the OSM material. So, yes, in this situation it works, because EVERYTHING was planned around it. There was an article in a recent copy of "Woodenboat" magazine about Saint Sustom Boats, and it discussed "Miss OSB". - Quite the boat.

It was obvious to me just from the choice of name.
Maybe I'll call mine Mr chopped strand mat polyester.

Anyway, with that much chrome and varnish a trashcan would look good.

 

[TitanTea]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

D) Its just cool.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

Just saw the Miss OSB article in Woodenboat Feb 2010. Custom made out of hardwood OSB, as noted...designer/builder says she is really heavy...so the power choice is twin jet drives powered by twin Cat engines. Way cool...think I'd pick a lighter material for a stitch-n-glue boat however.

 

[redfury]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

Apparently Miss OSB is for sale for a tidy sum of 10M.

 

[Fisherball]

Re: OSB stitch and glue boat

OSB = Opposed Strand Board

Instead of alternating grain with each ply it uses small pieces running in all directions. Great for home construction.