Sapele

[PNWPederson]

Has anyone used sapele in place of teak? Teak is incredibly expensive compared to sapele, about $50 board foot compared to $8 a board foot.

If so, were you able to get a stain on it to match teak? I'm trying to make a couple of interior components for a 1970 Grand Banks.

 

[PierreR]

I have had pretty good luck with Sapele. Color can vary a lot and looking for the right shade and grain can make a large difference in look. Yes it can look very much like teak. It does not have the durability of teak for exterior application.

 

[mvweebles]

I like sapele. Interior of Weebles was originally mahogany (not a high quality) and did the remodel in Sapele. The yard used a lot of sapele as an inexpensive teak replacement, especially in half inch plywood. A lighter shade of brown works well to match teak. Red hues match mahogany. I like oil based minwax stains to play with colors.

The above said. If you're trying to match golden hues of, say, a Grand Banks, you'll find the grain of Sapele a bit coarse.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[BruceK]

For timber similar in appearance to teak, I immediately thought of meranti. The appearance and grain can be very similar. It also resembles Australian red cedar. But I also found this comparison comment:
"Sapele if far denser,harder,heavier and more durable than Meranti.. Meranti is a pale reddish in colour verying on pink ,its grain is like straw,its a lot lighter in weight than Sapele and its less durable..."
An IG 50 I saw being repaired (after it was raised) was unwisely built of meranti. But as an interior timber, with ease of working, it could be worth considering.

 

[Pascall]

Meranti does not come from a specific tree species, it is a collective name for various heartwood species.
So there can be a lot of difference in Meranti in terms of hardness, durability and color.
As an alternative to teak wood that is in the open air, Afzelia doussie is a great substitute, this has the same properties as teak.
For interior panelling, it is not suitable as a substitute because the colors are very different, even from a tree trunk.

Greeting,

Pascal.

 

[HopCar]

Helped a friend build a boat out of Sapele. No attempt to make it look like teak.

 

[Hunterlees]

I have used Iroko succesfully, although it is a little darker than teak

 

[PNWPederson]

Thank you all for the input. I have found some information online that since sapele has a redder hue than teak, if a green hued stain is used it will negate the redness and give it more of a teak look. I love the look of sapele, but I need to match it to teak for some parts. I will give this a shot and see what happens on a test piece.

 

[SteveK]

As a former owner of a 1971 GB36 I have to ask why you are doing this and what the total cost of using teak for the repair be.
Frankly, I wonder if the end result of a patch job to save $X be worth it with a differenct product, or even needed in that old girl. Petina.

 

[MOJO]

We used Sapele on MOJO to build both the back sliding doors and the two side cafe doors. It looks very much like teak. We stained/coated it with Honey Teak. Looked great and lasted very well.

 

[Tacklow]

Has anyone used sapele in place of teak? Teak is incredibly expensive compared to sapele, about $50 board foot compared to $8 a board foot.

If so, were you able to get a stain on it to match teak? I'm trying to make a couple of interior components for a 1970 Grand Banks.

Had a friend just replace 12 38’ planks in Port Townsend. Used Sipo instead of Sapele on the recommendations of experts. (Apparently Sapele develops miniature checks when dropped.) Never heard of Sipo before but check with the Shipwrights Coop in PT.