> you can buy wood veneer from most lumber stores. It is frequently used for
> cabinet work, and table tops, so it is top quality material. Look in the
> department by the countertop laminates. ( formica, etc)

> Not cheap stuff, but if you choose to use it for a cold molded boat you'll
> have the secure knowledge that there are no voids in the middle layer,
> unless you put them there yourself. I've seen ths stuff in lengths of 10
> to 20 feet and widths of 1, 2 and 12 to 24 inches. The narrow stuff is for
> banding the edges of particle board, or end grains on planks. You cna
> probably find different lengths and widths if you shop a bit. It is so
> flexible that they usually roll it up and put it in a box. It is so thin
> you can cut it with a sharp knife, so if you need shapes or strips you are
> not going to have much going into waste as sawdust. Specialty wood stores
> sell dozens of varieties of wood species as veneers. Big pieces of some
> exotic materials can be VERY expensive.

> Best of luck

> Paul G. Jacobson

Thanks, Paul. I have worked with this kind of veneer before. But it is very thin, on the order of 1/40", so it would be necessary to do five layers just to get a 3mm laminate. The products sold in your average lumber / big-box home-improvement store are paper backed and I am concerned that the paper and glue they use might not be appropriate for this purpose. Higher-quality veneers are prohibitively expensive.

What I am looking for, I guess, is something more like the individual plys in 3mm or 4mm okoume -- something around 1mm.

Thanks to those who suggested sources for 1.5mm okoume. I think this might work.

I have also run across 'aircraft birch' plywood. Does anybody have any opinions on its suitability as a marine building material?