Looking back through history, it is clear that boats before the 18^th Century were made using oak. This was a good option back then because wood is very buoyant and allows for distant sea travel. The problem many sailors encounter with such a delicate material is shipworm, especially in the tropical seas. These wood-boring mollusks could easily destroy oak and cause a lot of damage on a ship’s structure that sailing in open water becames very dangerous. (more…)