Cockpit and deck paint

[localboy]

[hardee]

Here is a piece of Koa I found on a beach someplace on Kauai. No laminate here, just one big piece of Koa.



Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

Wow, a Koa dugout! What a find!

If I was to guess about the flooring, I would suspect not Hawaiian Koa--which is getting scarce. It is a beautiful wood, but can be hard to work...

Often "Australia Blackwood" is also called the poor man's Koa--and it is one of the same species as the Koa Acacia. (Many mass produced bowls, and figurines are from this.)

However, Locust, is a far more prevalent wood, and is called "False Acacia".

To even confuse it more--there area number of "asian Acacia's" There is a huge amount of "acacia" flooring made in China...and my guess is that is what this is.

It is like "Mahogany" There are only 3 which are true mahogany, one which is close enough that it is generally accepted, then outliers, who are of other Orders, and such as "Philippine Mahogany (Luan) has no characteristics of true mahogany....All of these have subgenus which give many different woods, which are at times called "Mahogany"...

[localboy]

My post was tongue in cheek. Hawai’ian Koa wood is extremely rare and expensive now. Dr Bob is correct, as usual. While it is a species of Acacia, I guarantee the ikea item is NOT Koa wood. That canoe is beautiful too, Harvey. I have my parent’s Koa wood living room furniture; hand built in 1952 by a local Japanese (Nesei) craftsman in Honolulu.

[robhwa]

There are over a thousand species of Acacia, some hard, some soft, some durable, some not, many utilized commercially, and varying in wood properties about as much as any tree. Saying "solid Acacia" is like saying "solid wood". What is really important is the specific Acacia species and its properties. For instance, Koa (Acacia koa) would be highly desirable, whereas Mangium (Acacia mangium) is a very fast growing species and would be less so. There are many species in between. A lot can be determined by looking at the wood before you buy it, but little can be determined by a simple description of "Acacia wood".

[localboy]

I see Brazilian Koa/Acacia used in flooring. Beautiful, but I know nothing about it.

[robhwa]

I work extensively in Brazil with the forest industry and universities. Brazilian Koa is neither Koa or Acacia. The botanical name is Astronium fraxinifolium (sometimes Astronium graveolens), commonly called"Gonçolo alves" or sometimes Tigerwood in Brazil. It was initially marketed as Tigerwood. When marketed as "Brazilian Koa" it sells better and for a higher price, because of Koa's reputation. This is kind of like calling Patagonian toothfish "Chilean Sea Bass" and shark meat cut into round pieces "Scallops".

However, this wood is generally a great product, very hard and rot resistant. However, it does vary in quality, hardness and price. It has "arrived" as a product, so it is not quite the bargain that it used to be when marketed initially as Tigerwood. Key is to get a look at the product before buying if you can.

[thataway]

Rob, Thank you for your expertise on woods. It is a pleasure to have someone aboard with your knowledge. Few things more beautiful than premier wood workmanship...on a boat....especially if some else maintains it!

[san juanderer]

I used a product called Tuff Coat, it was the smoother texture option . Ordered from Amazon with the epoxy primer. Used on the horizontal surface where the sunlight UV had caused the gel coat to craze. Been on a year so far, holding up very nicely. And the texture looks great. A water based product, applied with a special roller from the manufacturer.
Similar to a product called Kiwi Grip.

[localboy]