Comments on The Unlikely Boat Builder: The Quest for Wood

Condon is way too expensive. Their supplier is ...

2009-12-13T19:09:28.989-05:00

Condon is way too expensive.

Their supplier is Beet Lumber Co., in Manns Harbor, NC. 10 or more years ago, I bought lumber from Bill Beety. He is a great guy, has what you need and will saw any boat lumber for you.

Whether you go down there, pick out what you want and bring it back yourself. or have him pick the lumber out and ship it to you, he has been supplying small boat builders all his life and I trust him 110%.

Of course, you will have to pay shipping. But that is the way it is. He used to get really good shipping discounts from the motor freight guys particularly to the upper NE.

And his lumber is long and clear. Not knotty like the local (to me) NJ material in the Charlie Hankins, Sea Bright Skiff video.

Tell him me, Matt Prusik, sent you.

FWIW, I am also on the OT List and got here because of your posting about the Blog there. Keep up the good work.

That's interesting. That means I should be abl...

2009-12-07T10:06:04.857-05:00

That's interesting. That means I should be able to get all 4 planks for one side out of one board, if I resaw each plank.

From where you live, Suburban sounds like the best...

2009-12-06T20:49:48.115-05:00

From where you live, Suburban sounds like the best place, right in your back yard.

If they don't have what you want, I can vouch for one of the next closer places, M.L. Condon in White Plains. They're cedar is Atlantic White cedar, which is actually a Juniper variant from the New Jersey area. It is very slightly more brittle than Maine White, but a lot closer than the next place that has Maine cedar, Wood Steel and Glass. Condon typically keeps two stacks, all flitch sawn, out in the open at the end of their yard. The flitches are 16 feet long, 4 quarters thick, and have heartwood ranging mostly from 8-10 inches with an occasional 12 inch piece. Yard workers will happily open a pile for you, by fork lifting it into two parts. You can then pick through for what you want. Some say Condon's prices are high, and they might be. However, they are within easy driving distance for me, and that saves me trucking costs. I can also select what I know I will be able to use. My last boat used 8 or 9 flitches at an average cost of $75 each. The yard workers are generous in their pricing. Point out the end checking or splits and they'll report the usable length to the sales office.

I haven't used their oak, but have seen one very large bay full of both white and red. I don't know if they have air dried suitable for steam bending.

They also have a very good selection of other hardwoods, from ash to the exotics, and some of the finer softwoods like Sitka spruce and Western red cedar.