Reply To: Wooden boatbuilding
I have been investigating the CNC cutting and the most sensible answer I have had is that it costs £100 per hour. The company (Timbnet) suggests that without the plans they cannot give an accurate estimate but verbally said a generous overestimate was about £75 per sheet, so £750 to cut. (but not the nice veneered ply’s that enable a varnished deck. Another company offered to do the 10 sheets for about £1000 including their own birch Plywood, not sure they understood it was for a boat, even though I sent them a picture. Either way, the CNC costs look to be way over the 25 NZD (or £12.50!) quoted by Dan Leech. I know Synergy are looking at this project as well and they suggested about 7kg of Epoxy would be needed. Obviously if their was enough interest economies of scale should bring the prices down.
Timbnet can also do Bruynzeel marine Plywood at £55 which should be on a par with Robbins Plywood. I confess my original estimate was also based on a quick search for the cheapest ‘1088’ Gaboon marine plywood I could find, of which there are varying qualities out there although Chiltern Timbers website does describe their ply as being the proper stuff at about £20 a sheet for 6mm. Need to see a sample and see how heavy it is. Many many years ago I used to test suspect ply by dropping it in boiling water for half an hour.
The OK dinghy Building Manual by Trevor Gore advises 6 sheets of ply’ plus material for foils etc is needed so presumably the foils are not included in the cutting plans and I am not sure you would want ply foils anyway.
At the moment, with far to much time on my hands (who would have guessed?), and as there seems to be a scarcity of second hand boats in my price range (low!), I am tending back to the idea of building an OK from the plans I bought way back in the 1970’s (which seem to be the same as the ones offered on the website). I’ve even got the cutting list dated 3rd August 1965, with all imperial measurements.
