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To stain or not to stain?

I like the darker look for my whaler but also REALLY like the light banding in the sapele I have, how have most of you done your sapele? stain or no stain? Seems pretty ligh to me where I tested just varnish but the staining I did knocked the banding down quite a bit and I also didn't like that.

Thoughts?

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noooooooooooo stain on Sapele. B)

Mike

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Mike, have you done the "full sapele" refit on a 13 or 15? I really like the look of it, and might be interested in such for my 15 SuperSport - probably not until next fall, though. A couple of concerns:

1) Would the sapele ply hold up as well as the original wood? A previous owner had replaced the front hatch cover on my 15 with sapele ply, and the sapele part has bubbled away from the rest of the ply - don't know how it was maintained, though.

2) Would the thwarts be stiff enough? I'm thinking that even in full inch size the plywood might be less robust than the original mahog - thr front thwart, in particular, would be a concern.

Tim

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thanks mike, I was hoping you would chime in!

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1st off... not all sapele marine plywood on the market is actually made to be out in the elements. The only one that i would use would be Shelmen marine panels. (yes we carry them) A good insurance policy is encapsulating your plywood with epoxy if you're not sure of it performance.

Your thwart seats are made out of 5/4 lumber (never plywood) and finished at a true 1".

Hope this helps.....
Regards,
Mike Stennett
Nautical Lumber Co
586-777-1288

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I never stain sapele. It will obliterate that beautiful ribbon grain. The original Philippine thwarts (seats) were 5/4 planed to 1 1/8 finished. the sapele I buy is 1 1/8, and I can plane it smooth at 1" or a fraction more. Sapele is quite a bit stronger than Philippine, as you run into cracked and broken seats on old boats. You will never see this with sapele, even at 1" finished. the downside is it is harder to plane and you need good sharp blades in your planer. it is also a bit heavier. Another good side is it is relatively inexpensive at under $5.00 a bd. ft.

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OK, I think the light is dawning - you guys are talking solid sapele, not sapele ply. I'm a little slow...

Is the price of sapele similar to mahogany?

Tim

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You can`t use plywood for the seats, unless you put a vertical stiffener under the middle. The you have to cover the end plys, and now you have a home made look to your boat.