Bill,

I used about 60" wide fabric that was a couple of feet longer than tha kayak. Get it at least 60" wide so you can get by with a piece only one boat length long.

I started out stretching it the length of the kayak along the keelson. I stapled one end to one of the stems, then stretched it as tight as I could with my bare hands, stapling it to the other stem to hold it tight. I then started pulling it tight across the width, starting at them middle. Instead of tacks to hold the skin to the sheer, I used Monel (rustproof) staples. I slit the ends and wrapped and stapled them around the stems, being careful to avoid wrinkles. I used the same basic method on the deck and cut out the cockpit after everything was skinned. I made sure everything was stretched very tight. The canvas stretched more when I painted it. It is not slack now, but it is no longer drum tight.

It is the same basic method used in the book, but I used extra wide canvas and only single length.

I didn't use oil paint, but used latex roof paint instead. It is less likely to crack than oil paint.

Mike

: Mike,

: I thought I'd ask this here since there seems to be a few SOF boats in the
: works. I was curious if you remembered how much fabric and its width you
: bought for your Walrus. Also could you describe again the
: stretching/attaching process you used? I know you covered that at R2K, but
: I probably don't remember the details.

: Thanks,

: Bill Price