Birch plywood for a Tiki 21

by Andre

May 16, 2023

Hello everyone,

Well, it is now 2023 and my son and I's  Tiki 21 project is back on.

This time we would like to know if Birch plywood would be right for this project. We may have a good deal on enough of it to build the entire boat.

I am attaching a screen capture that describe the main qualities of this material.

It seems right to us but, being first time builders, we would appreciate the opinions of more knowledgeable people. 

Thank You in advance.

Andre and Tristan Cordeau

  • Ian Bamsey

    The amount of work that will go into the build will be considerable. It will cost more, but if it were me, I know I'd sleep easy knowing I'd used a good marine ply. The cost increase will be a small price when compared to the overall price, the effort and ultimately the resale value.

    May 19, 2023

  • Robert Hughes

    I agree with Ian, use proper marine ply.  Birch is susceptible to rot and I wouldn't use it in boat building.  Some people describle it as "durable", but they're usually talking about it's use in furniture construction...

    Jun 5, 2023