Step # 2 - The Lumber

Most professional boat builders will recommend you build your vessel out of marine plywood (a rare find in the DC area ...maybe not in Annapolis).  It is nice, but very pricey.  Luckily, I read that exterior plywood would do just as well marine as long as I fiberglassed and sealed my boat correctly. 

I went to the hardware store in search of exterior plywood.  To my surprise, even exterior plywood isn’t available in most hardware stores these days.  Apparently it’s a product most homebuyers don’t regularly buy…and apparently I stand alone when it comes to amateur boatbuilding. 

Cousin of proud owner of Sheets Wholesale

Since Katy and I are planning to build at my parents’ house, I called a few lumber yards out that way.  For anyone in Northern Virginia, Sheets Wholesale Inc is the way to go.   They had exactly what I needed and gave me quotes on the phone.  I drive a Toyota Yaris; which for those of you who don’t know, is about a step up from a Volkswagen Beetle.  I needed a pick-up truck, so I dragged my dad and his Tacoma out to Sheets Wholesale with me at 6:30am before work (yes, I have a job) on Wednesday morning. 

…And that is when we met Mr. Sheets.  I thought the place was called “Sheets Wholesale” because they sold sheets of plywood.  Nope, that’s the owner’s name.  Sheets introduced himself, told us his cousin was former MLB player Larry Sheets, asked if we knew Larry Sheets, asked how old I was, asked if I was adopted, told me I didn’t look like my father, and pulled me behind the counter to show me that the prices he gave me on the phone were indeed discounted.  I saved a total of $12!  Thanks, Mr. Sheets.

For the sides and bottom of the boat, I bought exterior ¼” A/C fir (the A means one side is the highest quality—nice and smooth, the C means the other side is a C-grade quality with a lot of knots, fir is a type of tree (learned that in Miss Birnbaum's first grade class)).  For the transom or back end of the boat, I bought ¾” B/C fir (B-grade is solid and doesn't have as many knots as C) .

The A and B sides will be on the outside of the boat, and the C sides will be on the inside.

The front and back of the plywood. A-grade side (smooth and solid), C-grade side (notice knots)