In many cases, the caller went to their local building supply store and found that specialty woods were not available. The woods may have been available in lumberyards or from local specialty suppliers, but they had not taken the time to look. We can give recommendations, but it is up to the builder to decide what to use. Which non-marine woods could be substituted depends on how the boat will be used. Clear red oak would be an option, albeit heavy, for a boat you might have to carry any distance.
Western pines tend to be relatively weak and prone to rot.
If you are building a small rowboat that you use as a coffee table, pine would be fine. When you build a boat and you know how it is built and what its limitations are, then you will presumably treat it accordingly. But if you give it to someone else who hasn't decided in advance the limitation he would accept, your pine boat may be very short lived. This chapter discusses woods used in boat building. We hope to add additional features to this section concerning various types of wood that we have been asked about, listing information to help a potential boat builder decide what wood to use.