: Wow, thanks for the great reponses. I did check out Roger and Bill's sites
: already, as well as the archive for "walrus" and "skin on
: Frame", (and the baidarka list....) What do you think of adopting
: this building technique to Putz's lines. Would the plywood frames be stong
: enough? How bout the weight? Also, from looking at different folk's sites,

Not sure I follow what you are suggesting, but if you are thinking of plywood forms going all the way around from floor to deck, it should work fine. Mike had a post of someone who did a similar thing. Might be heavy, though. Perhaps a lighter wood like cedar or spruce? Others here have also suggested replacing Putz's trestle structure with plywood. It could be drilled out with, say 6" holes along the center line to save weight.

: it seems that many would consider a synthetic skin if they had to do it
: again. I found a few of the marine shops here have what I think is a PVC
: fabric, both fabric reinforced and just PVC (maybe vinyl?). Runs about $16
: a yard, 60 & 72" width. No waterproofing would be required, but
: this stuff doesn't have much stretch to it. Am I in the right ballpark?

$16 sounds pretty expensive. I've been considering mail order for some 10-15 oz polyester. Mike was able to get 9 oz at a local tent and awning shop in Tacoma, so you might look for similar. Not sure what he paid. I'd be leary about skipping the sealing, even on the vinyl coated stuff. Most of those fabrics are made to be water proof not water tight. The exception might be the heavy stuff you'd make a dry bag from, but then that's, well... heavy :-) You'll see a lot of opinions on what to seal with. Urethanes seem to be good and some people have sealed with a thin coat of epoxy. Platt Monfort has ranged from Urethanes and varnishes to "tool grip" to self adhesive mylar (Monocote). I think I'll go the urethane route on my next endever.

Stretch is nice when putting the stuff on the boat. Polyesters and nylons can be shrunk a little too with some heat.

: Oh yeah, what about laminating the deck beams from 1/4" stock instead of
: using solid wood? Stronger? Damn I wish that book would get here!

Certainly feasible. Not sure if it would be any stronger. Could be lighter. I think I'll be doing this on my latest project.

Bill