Got wood?

I am always amused when reading boat building forums. Someone will ask about the ideal wood for a particular use or other. White oak for this, long leaf pine for that, a dash of spruce here... But when it comes to steam bending, people start to get downright religious. Some insist that soft wood cannot be effectively steam bent.
Thankfully I did not know about all of these limitations when I embarked on my first autonomous boat building project while living in Abu Dhabi. The only straight grained wood I could find was very cheap pine from Eastern Europe. Most of the planks in the pile had reddish stains from some sort of fungal infection. After going through about 60 planks of 2/6, I found two planks in so-so condition. That was enough for my first personal design, the Sprucedragon.

Remember that skin-on-frame boats use little material and time. Also remember that the boat will not constantly remain in the water and will dry between use. Plus, any repairs you may have to do are usually very easily made.

The Sprucedragon was built with $50 worth of wood, $40 worth of vinyl laminated canvas and $2 worth of artificial sinew. This sailing canoe served my family and I for 3 years in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. It measured 14 feet in length and could comfortably carry 2 adults and 2 kids on board with a 100% reliability record. ALL for $92! I've passed the boat onto a friend and it continues to serve him well, one year later.

Now cheap wood does have draw backs. Flexibility will vary from one plank to the next and steam bending can be frustrating. But if the choice is between having a boat or not, then the choice is obvious... happy sailing!