I also did a Master Class with Skip Snaith and did it in the Spring. I wished to use a non-toxic coating and used the Varathane mentioned by Paul and have been very satisfied with it for the last 6 months. My Baidarka Construction Custom Kayak has been paddleded in the Pacific, the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and the Atlantic in the last 6 months. I try not to abuse the hull but it has been scrapped on rocks, oyster beds, run into underwater branches and rubbed on the sand. So far so good but ask me in a year how my non-toxic coating holds up on the 8 oz. nylon. I have thought about a keel rub strip but have not done so yet and may not. The skin was sewn drum tight to start with with out heat shrink and has stayed quite tight but does very slightly depending on humidity and temp. It does not sag significantly when in the water. I could not be more pleasedwith my kayak. The experience with Skip was the vacation of my adult lifetime and I learned a tremendous amount.

Dean
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