Suitability of Black Walnut for marine trim applications.
 

How well will black walnut work as cabinet tops, trim, and gunwales in
a boat? It will be covered in epoxy and then coated with several coats
of high gloss UV blocking varnish, but I am interested in knowing if it
is resistant to rot and such.

Thanks!

SouthForkSam wrote:
How well will black walnut work as cabinet tops, trim, and gunwales in
a boat? It will be covered in epoxy and then coated with several coats
of high gloss UV blocking varnish, but I am interested in knowing if it
is resistant to rot and such.

Thanks!

I would think it would have similar properties as mahogany. And UV
protection will be the same. They have used walnut in boats and boat
trimming for many years.

Here is a page to view:

http://www.classicboat.com/id-28cust...-1929-1931.htm

Try a google with "walnut" "wooden boat" "marine" and see what happens...

Philski

Gunwales and cabinet trim are pretty far apart. Usually, one wants a hard
tough wood like oak for gunwales and a nicely finished wood likecherry,
walnut, teak or mahogany for cabinet trim. I believe that black walnut is
not particularly rot resistant.
Dave
"SouthForkSam" wrote in message
oups.com...
How well will black walnut work as cabinet tops, trim, and gunwales in
a boat? It will be covered in epoxy and then coated with several coats
of high gloss UV blocking varnish, but I am interested in knowing if it
is resistant to rot and such.

Thanks!

For what it's worth, there's an old maritime superstition that black walnut
is unlucky on boats.

Tom Dacon

"SouthForkSam" wrote in message
oups.com...
How well will black walnut work as cabinet tops, trim, and gunwales in
a boat? It will be covered in epoxy and then coated with several coats
of high gloss UV blocking varnish, but I am interested in knowing if it
is resistant to rot and such.

Thanks!

Dave W says...

Gunwales and cabinet trim are pretty far apart. Usually, one wants a hard
tough wood like oak for gunwales and a nicely finished wood likecherry,
walnut, teak or mahogany for cabinet trim. I believe that black walnut is
not particularly rot resistant.
Dave

Walnut is hard, tough and very resistant to decay. See
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets.../juglans2.html

Should I worry that Black Walnut is only 1010 on the Janka hardness
scale where White Oak is 1300 and something?

Maybe I should just use Purple Heart or Padauk (both higher on the
hardness scale than white oak)...... but I really am leaning towards
the color of the walnut. I can already see the dark brown, brightworked
gunwale contrasting against an ivory paint on the outer hull.

"SouthForkSam" wrote in message
oups.com...
Should I worry that Black Walnut is only 1010 on the Janka hardness
scale where White Oak is 1300 and something?


Hardness is not an indicator of rot resistance. I'm sure cedar and cypress
come in much lower but have good resistance.

SouthForkSam says...

Should I worry that Black Walnut is only 1010 on the Janka hardness
scale where White Oak is 1300 and something?

Maybe I should just use Purple Heart or Padauk (both higher on the
hardness scale than white oak)...... but I really am leaning towards
the color of the walnut. I can already see the dark brown, brightworked
gunwale contrasting against an ivory paint on the outer hull.

I'm not a boat builder, but it doesn't seem like a big deal considering
the application and considering you are going to put some tough finishes
on it. You could use Jatoba as well. Very hard and durable and it has
a nice color.

As the boat I am working on is a drift boat the gunwales may see some
abuse. I want a fairly tough wood with good shock resistance.