We have carried Bruynzeel plywood for a while now and our boat building customers have always been very pleased with the high quality of the product. With 100% weather resistant plies and BS 1088 certification, you cannot ask for a panel more perfectly suited to boat building. The exciting news is that J. Gibson McIlvain is now an exclusive North American distributor of Bruynzeel plywood and we are importing it directly from the parent company Allin of Le Vanneau, France. In the past we have had to work through brokers which always drives the price up and adds uncertainty to the entire supply chain. So now we can continue to offer this outstanding plywood but at a better price and much greater availability and options. Let’s take a closer look at why Bruynzeel is the best marine grade plywood.
First things first, this is hard core marine grade plywood! We know that the “marine grade” moniker gets thrown around a lot for a variety of exterior plywood products, but this is the real stuff meant to be submerged in water and to stand up to the roughest environmental range of conditions. In other words, the same punishing conditions that a boat hull is subjected to. Bruynzeel plywood is water and weather resistant and carries the BS (British Standard) 1088 grade which is the highest and most stringent grading out there.
I know what you’re thinking, “big deal, there are lots of marine plywoods that are BS 1088!”
These Bruynzeel panels go several steps beyond BS 1088 to where there is not equivalent grade. Of course WBF (weather & boil proof) melamine glue is used to join everything but this panel is built using a 100% weather resistant species: Gaboon (Aucoumea klaineana). Many of you have probably heard of Okoume plywood and Gaboon is from the same genus, but just a different species. The Okoume used in other products isn’t actually a weather resistant species but it is used for it’s consistent grain and “blank slate” quality. Gaboon carries all those same features of Okoume but throws in a Mahogany like weather resistance. You will often see this referred to as “Okoume Gaboon” since the Okoume name is well known as a top quality marine plywood species. The Bruynzeel Hechthout product uses this Gaboon throughout the panel. The face veneers as well as the rest of the plies are made from extremely high quality steamed Gaboon veneers. Zero defects are accepted in the face veneers with no joints at all. This creates an additional barrier to moisture with the solid sheet of veneer coating the exterior.
The manufacture is done with a patented process called Hechthout that ensures a highly flat, stable, rigid, and very lightweight panel. Perfect for boat building. The single sheet, Mahogany like face veneer is quite attractive as well, making this marine ply suitable as a substrate or as a stand alone solution. The tight grain makes for a perfect surface that finishes like glass whether that be epoxy or fiberglass. From an engineering perspective it is truly impressive how they make such a high quality panel, but to the builder it is all about performance.
Our boat building customers tell us that they won’t use anything but Bruynzeel panels. You won’t hear any horror stories of de-laminated panels, warping, or rot with this product. In fact Bruynzeel guarantees their product for 20 years! We have been selling this plywood for years, but we are extremely excited to now be a direct importer allowing us to sell it at more competitive prices and with greater availability and selection. Currently we have a full range of thicknesses (1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 3/4, 1″) on the ground at our yard and we are ready to ship it anywhere in the nation. Whether you are building the next super yacht or a plywood canoe we can help you with the finest marine grade plywood in the world. Not only that, but we can supply the Teak and any other species of plywood or solid wood for the interior of your boat. All shipped to you on the same truck.
Thanks for my plywood education