[mpjourdan]

Does anybody have experience with plywood bottom boards? Mann Lake builds theirs out of ¾” thick lauan, which is the same type of plywood, only ¼” thick that a lot of manufactures use in inner covers and they seam to hold up well. I built a run of 50 bottom boards, using pine boards that I tongue and grooved, but the time involved in building them makes me wonder about using that ¾” lauan which I can buy locally (Menards). I always just assumed that plywood wouldn’t hold up as well, but my inner covers are doing well.

 

[honeyman46408]

I have some that I built of 3/4" plywood from the dumpster (just plywood) and painted them real good and have lasted well for 6 or 7 years I always glue a 3/4 X 1/2 piece of pine board on the leading edge and glue it with Liquid nails to kind of water proof the edge.

 

[odfrank]

I have 3/4" exterior ply bottom boards with redwood cleats, painted with copper napthenate, circa 1976 still in excellent condition. Might last my lifetime. The marraige I was in back then only lasted two more years.

 

[xC0000005]

I use dumpster aquired OSB. The quality of that stuff varies from batch to batch, with some of them nigh indestructable and others flaking to bits in weeks. We'll see - they're cheap and easy. I acquired a plywood one that looks as old as I am (and given the 70s dates on some of the other equipment, it might actually be), so I guess ply works in some conditions.

 

[Michael Bush]

I have a lot of them that are 1/4" exterior luan bottoms. Much ligher and last just as well. But now they are all SBB.

 

[power napper]

I have a couple plywood that I think I bought from mann lake--they have lasted at least five years! Just changed out all mine to screened bottom boards except for a couple nucs.