[Milsurplus] Boatanchor Plywood etc from WW 2

[boeing377 at aol.com]

"It could well have been Casein or Phenol-Formaldahyde. It may be that  
now,
to increase production rate, the cure times have been reduces since the
war."

The AAHS article said that Casein didn't hold up well in moist  
environments. Phenolaldehyde glues replaced it and gave far better  
strength and durability.

So called Marine Plywood hasn't proven to be worth the extra cost in  
my experience. It dryrots and delaminates too. There are some newer  
plywoods with a resin impregnated paper/plastic top sheet that looks  
promising. Sealing the side edges on cut pieces is the perpetual  
challenge. No matter how well you seal it initially, with all the  
flexing and thermal movement, rain, waves and wind, sooner or later  
moisture finds its way in.

If any of you see pix or text about WW 2 Navy Plane Rearmament Boats  
please send info to me at af6im at arrl.net. There is a lot of info about  
Higgins Boats (plywood landing craft) but very little about these PRBs.

They used Chrysler Crown marine gas engines so that they could use the  
avgas which was plentiful on seaplane tenders and at bases. Mine has a  
USN Gray Marine 671 diesel presumably  taken out of a Higgins LCVP. I  
even have a "boatanchor" boat anchor, a genuine USN surplus Danforth.  
Does anyone know what kind of radio gear these boats carried? They  
were designed to carry bombs depth charges torpedos and other  
ordinance to PBYs and other seaplanes. They were built stronger than  
LCVPs which were often one trip boats abandoned after an amphibious  
landing.

For years this boat had an APN 9 LORAN A set and an ARN 7 ADF  
installed by me in the 1960s.  Although marine NDBs are now scarce or  
perhaps extinct, I may reinstall the ARN 7 and shoot bearings on AM  
BCB stations. GPS is superior but I just love WW 2 electromech tech.  
The ARN 7 has a ratchet bandswitch motor that sounds like a machine  
gun. The selsyns in the loop and bearing indicators play a 400 hz  
monotonic melody and the loop servomotor nervously twitches a rythm,  
making tiny corrections as the thyratrons send their phased commands  
to it. It is an electromech symphony to my ears and far more pleasing  
that GPS LCD playing a "silent movie."

73
AF6IM