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Blog EntryDec 5, '07 4:36 PM
by the vagabond dreamer for everyone
Hello All...
Does anyone know what type of wood is used in the cabins of the Ballads???
Mine doesn't look like teak or mahogany...wondered if it was some local hardwood?
I'm planning on replacing some of mine at some point...the veneer is starting to loosen in places.
Thanks....
Haimes
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jespermilling wrote on Dec 6, '07
Hi Haimes
 
In our Ballad the veneer is mahogany. The core is a nordic softwood,making the plywood sheets a little too soft  for my taste. I believe the veneer is mahogany in all ballads. Mahogany however is not always the same colour, and the pattern of the veneer may also differ, so you might have to search for just the rigth veneer. Will you just put on new veneer or cut entirely new plywood sheets?
 
Sometimes mahogany has to be stained (bejdset) to achieve the desired dark color. Mahogany stain is available for this purpose.
 
I would ask the local boatbilders if they have what I need, and maybe some good advice as well.
 
Jesper.
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msn-patentnick1 wrote on Dec 6, '07
Hi Haimes:
 
Jesper is right.  The Ballad's main bulkheads are mahogany-veneered plywood. I think that some of the cappings and other small pieces are made of solid teak.  Matching wood is  very difficult.  I've made some decorative pieces out of iroko, exterior-grade MDF and plywood, all stained with teak-coloured varnish, and they have come pretty close to the original wood--at least to my eyes.  As Jesper said, a batch of teak--or any wood for that matter--isn't necessarily the same as another batch. Premium Scandinavian boat-builders like Hallberg-Rassy, Nautor, Regina, etc, try to use wood from a single tree per boat in order to achieve an even finish but this, of course, is reflected in the asking price.  I've toyed around with painting some interior parts of the boat in satin white (bunk bases, heads base and companionway hatch) and they've helped to lighten up the interior considerably.  Some American boat-builders paint the main bulkheads white and use solid teak or mahogany for the trimming which is also very nice but, I think, a Ballad is too small a boat for that.  It's really a matter of personal taste.  If you want me to send you some photos to look at before you commit paintbrush to wood, let me know.
 
-Nicholas
Moments of Clarity #334
 
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jespermilling wrote on Dec 6, '07
I dont think the solid parts in the cabin are anything but Mahogany, but I have used stained oak for the closing of a new corner I created when I created my doubbel berth. Please see picture below, it blends in very nicely, but the grains are not quite similar. The strips on the panel lying down are stained pine. Replacing veneer successfully is a very honorable performance (it is difficult).
 
 
 
Jesper
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msn-the vagabond dreamer wrote on Dec 6, '07
Thanks guys...
The bulkhead does look to be mahogany...or at least in color...of course there are so many varieties of mahogany too.
At some point I may try and replace most of the woodwork in the boat...I know that's a formidible task, but the original plywood is starting to delaminate in places...not from rot...but just age and heat I think. The wood is estremely dry and brittle.
I'm thinking about going with red oak...it's available here and much cheaper than mahogany. It will take just about any color stain if you want to do that....but I may go with a natural finish just to lighten up the interior some. The sides of my boat have a light colored lathing that must be some sort of fir...it's above the berths and head.
It's solid and still in very good condition.
I'd like to replace the countertops too...and that would be much easier while doing the woodwork.
 
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msn-sin-tacha wrote on Dec 9, '07
This wood looks identical to the wood in my Vega. If so, it's called Sapele and is still available (in the Pacific Northwest). Peter
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msn-ballad172 wrote on Dec 9, '07
All the Ballads I've seen in the UK have Sapele plywood, which is an African wood resembling Mahogany - suitable for inside use only. A little lighter in colour and not as attractive as good quality Mahogany.
Regards
Iain
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jespermilling wrote on Dec 10, '07
I have no objections to the wood being Sapele, I am not an expert on exotic woods (or wood in general). The Ballad was considered inexpensive when built, and I'm sorry to say so, but I think it's obvious in some aspects of the construction. Again let me just remind you all of the plywood core being som sort of soft wood like pine. So if an inexpensive mahogany like wood exists, they probably used it.
 
Jesper.
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msn-laperla10 wrote on Dec 10, '07
Hi,
Suggest you visit the Swedish Ballad Club, www.balladklubben.se. Click on "Balladfakta" and than on "Brief presentation of Albin Ballad. I think they know what they are talking about and they state that Mahogny was used until 1978and later teak.
Tom
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msn-sophina-ballad wrote on Dec 16, '07
Hello,
 
Yes, Tom is right.  From 1979 and onwards there was a major upgrade of the Ballad, with teak interior, and also the aluminium edge around the hull.
 
My ballad number 1421 from 1979 has teak:
 
Best regards
Tommy
 
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