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okay, i've convinced myself (emotionally) that the Whaler guys did the right thing with the interior of the 68 13 Sport i am restoring. i have priced the interior from our esteemed advertisers and would like comments from anyone who has not used them - ie. - you bought your own wood and cut it/finished it yourself.

additionally, this boat has the cable pulley steering system and i am not going to reinstall it - i will get a teleflex system for this - do you have a suggestion about which one you used ? need a steering wheel too ...

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Mike and Nautical Lumber makes and sells an interior that will knock your socks off! He's a site sponsor so look for his banner in the top right hand corner of this web page.

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The 1968 did not come in a SS model. You can easily put an SS in your boat. I converted my 1979 15' sport to an SS. I purchased the wood from Mike at Nautical Lumber.

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making an interior for a 13 depends on your skills. none of the cuts are especially challenging but i would suggest you make a pattern our of MDF before you started cutting expensive hardwood.

there are plans for all versions of the wooden interiors in the download section.

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sorry i meant a Sport, not a SS ... however, i am curious about alternatives to mahogany. i am have 2 issues ... first i am somewhat conservationist so i am not going to use a wood that is seemingly going extinct. 2nd, i am looking to be cheap - not really sure what could be more expensive than mahogany ... but it's expensive.

so ... a starboard interior is not bad - is it as strong as wood in the same sizes > or will i need to adjust my dimensions for the seats or put another brace in ... thanks.

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No, Starboard is not as stiff as mahogany of equal size - you'll definitely need braces or to change dimensions.

If you want cheaper, but still nice, you might talk to the Nautical Lumber folks about making you an interior in mahogany or sapele-faced plywood.

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Cambara and Ipe are two woods used as mahogany decking material and would be low cost options for making Whaler interiors. Ipe is more expensive and goes by the name of ironwood for its density and durability. Cambara is the more common mahogany decking material. Neither wood is an endangered species. Both are rot resistant and finish with a look very similar to the original wood used for Whalers. As decking material, they are nowhere near the cost of furniture-grade wood. A reasonably good woodworker could make an excellent Whaler interior with either Ipe or Cambara.

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Starboard is NOT inexpensive, I think that the "FUN" part about the smaller Whaler models is the fact that you can fix them yourself. If you can find the type of wood you want at a Lumber yard, they'll cut it to the exact demensions of your interior. You can finish the wood in a number of ways. It's pretty easy with just hand tools, and we can walk you through it. I'm a bit of conservationist myself but, remember that these 13' boats often save lives.

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Not to try to slam you, But wouldn't a conservationist be as concerned about the plastic ending up in a land fill?

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no, i won;t be getting rid of it.

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Look at Specialtymarine.com. Talk to Eric, he was a great help. No one at Nautical lumber ever called or emailed me back. I looked at the cost of finished wood versus doing it myself; the cost is almost the same. What is your time worth to you? That is the question here.

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Really? Mike is usually very responsive. I'd give him another call.

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John,

Im sorry no one got bact to you. I dbl checked through my records and found no reference to your call or email. It's not ofton a call or email slips through the cracks. But it does happen. I always respond to orders or questions whaler owners may have.

Regards,
Mike

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the local lumber companies have suggested Spanish Cedar (?) does anyone have experience with this wood ? how does the strength and weight compare to mahogany.