[fred cook]

I believe that the hulls were made of laminated mahogany, quite a step up from "plywood". It (mahogany) was lighter, stronger and more durable than most any other wood when used in a "wet" environment. If I ever win one of the big lottos, I'm going to buy one of those suckers! I might even pay the transfer taxes so that I can mount some 50 cals on it and go pirate hunting!