Okoume marine-grade plywood is considered one of the finest construction plywoods available for boats of all sizes. It’s users range from individual hobbyist kayak builders to some of the world’s largest boat builders. Most often it is used in combination with epoxy and fiberglass, the combination giving a structure that can be stronger and lighter than plastic or fiberglass.  The grain appearance is prized, likened to that of Mahogany and is often varnished for a decorative appearance.

About Okoume

The trees from which Okoume is derived grow naturally in the West African provinces of Congo and Gabon to heights of over 200 feet.  The heartwood is salmon-pink in color, and the narrow sapwood is whitish or pale gray. The wood has a high luster and uniform texture. The texture is slightly coarser than that of Birch (Betula). The nondurable heartwood dries readily with little degrade. Sawn lumber is somewhat difficult to machine because of the silica content, but the wood glues, nails, and peels into veneer easily. Okoume offers unusual flexibility in finishing because the color, which is of medium intensity, permits toning to either lighter or darker shades.

When rotary cut into veneers and laminated into plywood, Okoume has the appearance of a light-colored Mahogany with a very tight, close grain.The glue line is phenolic.  Face and back are a minimum of 1.3mm with no voids or patches in the surface or core and is rotary-Okoume throughout.

USES – Okoume Marine Plywood is used for Formula 1 race boats, hydroplanes, canoes, racing dinghies, shells, cabin cruisers, motoryachts, cold-molded boats, lapstrake or clinker-built designs, mine-sweepers or commercial craft.  Because of its light weight and high strength to weight ratio, Okoume Plywood is even used in aircraft construction.

Proudly serving marine carpenters throughout Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and Palm Beach who demand the highest quality marine plywood available.

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