> Have read a number of letters where folks building skin on frame kayaks
> are mixing linseed oil in to exterior oil base paints. They talk of having
> to wait 3 weeks between coats. I have in my 8 th grade woodworking class,
> just used oilbase white thinned 50 % then full coat on 2 nd. coat. Why the
> linseed oil.

It is my understanding that this adds flexibility. Adding more oil makes sense when you consider that a simple recipee to make "old fashioned" white oil paint is simply chalk, linseed oil and gum turpentine. Boiled linseed oil is generally used since it dries much quicker. BTW, modern "boiled" linseed is not actually boiled, it simply contains drying agent additives.

Many folks who use canvas and oil paint do so to enjoy working with (relatively) nontoxic materials. Your boat will have a shorter lifespan but when it finally dies it will simply turn into honest, healthy soil. Most Greenlanders use canvas these days for a number of reasons, one being that the dogs wont eat the skin!

I haven't used canvas yet myself, so some of this is second-hand information. I am planning to use canvas to skin my 18.5" X 17.5' Greenland "qajaq" currently under construction.

Greg Stamer