[bolger] Re: Bass as spar materiel
If you are going to use unusual wood for spar material, remember that
strength goes as the cube of the diameter, and stiffness as the fourth
power. A small adjustment can make a big difference. However, an
increase in size will add a little windage.
Now if you can just find strength figures...
You might try testing 10 small pieces of the new kind vs 10 pieces of
more usual wood exactly the same size loaded exactly the same way until
they break.
I would guess bass or poplar might be a bit soft on the surface. Might
need glassing?
strength goes as the cube of the diameter, and stiffness as the fourth
power. A small adjustment can make a big difference. However, an
increase in size will add a little windage.
Now if you can just find strength figures...
You might try testing 10 small pieces of the new kind vs 10 pieces of
more usual wood exactly the same size loaded exactly the same way until
they break.
I would guess bass or poplar might be a bit soft on the surface. Might
need glassing?
Hello Guys
I don't know about Bass but over here we have used (sucessfully) all sorts
of woods for spar material including New Zealand Native beech, Radiata pine
and New Zealand grown Douglas Fir (which is nothing like the North American
stuff). Now Radiata pine isn't very light, rots easily and isn't very
strong but it is consistant strenght wise and it can be gotten in nice clear
grades. No less an authority than Larry Pardey has used it for spars and
pronounced it satisfactory.
The implication is to use what you can get and adjust your scantlings and
construction technique accordingly. If I was using Poplar (which I would) I
would epoxy seal the inside the mast, and outside too, altought this means
you have to paint it to stop the UV breaking down the epoxy, and use a
"birdsmouth" construction which gives the best posssible glue lines. For a
small boat I wouldn't increase the scantlings either as Bolger usually
specifies pretty substantial spars anyway.
The New Zealand entry in the Mini Tansat race across the Atlantic was built
on strip planked NZ grown poplar, which is lightish, takes fastners and
epoxy well. It has been strong enough to stand being raced very, very hard
in several ocean races. It should be noted that on this boat it mainly
functions as a core material, the boat is glassed inside and out.
Regards - Foster Price
Southland, New Zealand
I don't know about Bass but over here we have used (sucessfully) all sorts
of woods for spar material including New Zealand Native beech, Radiata pine
and New Zealand grown Douglas Fir (which is nothing like the North American
stuff). Now Radiata pine isn't very light, rots easily and isn't very
strong but it is consistant strenght wise and it can be gotten in nice clear
grades. No less an authority than Larry Pardey has used it for spars and
pronounced it satisfactory.
The implication is to use what you can get and adjust your scantlings and
construction technique accordingly. If I was using Poplar (which I would) I
would epoxy seal the inside the mast, and outside too, altought this means
you have to paint it to stop the UV breaking down the epoxy, and use a
"birdsmouth" construction which gives the best posssible glue lines. For a
small boat I wouldn't increase the scantlings either as Bolger usually
specifies pretty substantial spars anyway.
The New Zealand entry in the Mini Tansat race across the Atlantic was built
on strip planked NZ grown poplar, which is lightish, takes fastners and
epoxy well. It has been strong enough to stand being raced very, very hard
in several ocean races. It should be noted that on this boat it mainly
functions as a core material, the boat is glassed inside and out.
Regards - Foster Price
Southland, New Zealand
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Fuller [mailto:Jamar@...]
> Sent: Thursday, 23 March 2000 09:54
> To:bolger@egroups.com
> Subject: [bolger] Re: Bass as spar materiel
>
>
> I can only envy those of you who have local access
> to spruce or douglas fir. I have been unable to locate
> either in this area.
> ( eastern new mexico, and the texas panhandle) The nearest
> spruce that I
> can find is in Houston Tx, and is (gasp!) $10.00 a board foot
> in rough sawn
> sizes. Is bass strong enought to use for a mast and spars for a 80 sq
> ft spirit or lateen sail? I have found it available in
> 16 ft lengths.
> James
>
>
>
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On Wed, 22 Mar 2000, James Fuller wrote:
You live in the world of ponderosa pine. This is an acceptable wood, I
think, for low-tech spars. I am surprised that you do not have cheap
spruce, in the form of 2X4's. But, certainly there is some good pine. I
have used pine for spars--currently my sprit on my Teal is a from the
species "closet-pole pine". Has worked fine for a couple of seasons, and
it was cheap, and certainly easy to build, starting out round, and all.
Chris Crandallcrandall@...(785) 864-4131
Department of Psychology University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045
I have data convincingly disconfirming the Duhem-Quine hypothesis.
> I can only envy those of you who have local access to spruce orI would not use basswood for this purpose. It's splintery.
> douglas fir. I have been unable to locate either in this area. (
> eastern new mexico, and the texas panhandle) The nearest spruce that
> I can find is in Houston Tx, and is (gasp!) $10.00 a board foot in
> rough sawn sizes. Is bass strong enought to use for a mast and spars
> for a 80 sq ft spirit or lateen sail? I have found it available in 16
> ft lengths. James
You live in the world of ponderosa pine. This is an acceptable wood, I
think, for low-tech spars. I am surprised that you do not have cheap
spruce, in the form of 2X4's. But, certainly there is some good pine. I
have used pine for spars--currently my sprit on my Teal is a from the
species "closet-pole pine". Has worked fine for a couple of seasons, and
it was cheap, and certainly easy to build, starting out round, and all.
Chris Crandallcrandall@...(785) 864-4131
Department of Psychology University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045
I have data convincingly disconfirming the Duhem-Quine hypothesis.
I can only envy those of you who have local access
to spruce or douglas fir. I have been unable to locate either in this area.
( eastern new mexico, and the texas panhandle) The nearest spruce that I
can find is in Houston Tx, and is (gasp!) $10.00 a board foot in rough sawn
sizes. Is bass strong enought to use for a mast and spars for a 80 sq
ft spirit or lateen sail? I have found it available in
16 ft lengths.
James
to spruce or douglas fir. I have been unable to locate either in this area.
( eastern new mexico, and the texas panhandle) The nearest spruce that I
can find is in Houston Tx, and is (gasp!) $10.00 a board foot in rough sawn
sizes. Is bass strong enought to use for a mast and spars for a 80 sq
ft spirit or lateen sail? I have found it available in
16 ft lengths.
James