I know that I can't help you with this, but Mike Hanks has built a skin kayak and he may be able to give you some tips.

Jag

: Picked up (for free) a home-made "kayak" last summer. It has a
: wooden cockpit, what looks like a canvas skin, and nastily cracked paint
: of some sort on the canvas. VERY fragile skin, my cat (clumsy oaf!) popped
: a hole through the top; I found what looks like blown insulation inside
: the bow. My thinking is take a razor to the existing skin, check out the
: frame. If it looks solid, I'll go from there. If not, I'll junk it and
: fantasize about building my own someday... Aside from Brink's book and
: Putz' book (which I'll be getting from my library this weekend), does
: anyone have any advice before I pull out my utility razor?

: Thanks in advance,

: Kelly in Vermont