Petter I have seen this sort of thing done on oytser barges that get used in the Chespeake. They are small one person craft to be used over the oyster beds. To keep them from getting all slashed up it s wood on the bottom. Most are wood up top, but some are stretched fabric on frames.With a wooden work station for shucking. the canvas tops are ussually painted or shellacked as they are a work area that gets to see a lot of hard work. My impression is the top canvases get replaced every few years. good luck sounds interesting.

I am thinking how neat such a boat would be in the slashes and cuts in the Tybee Island area. Good luck

!RUSS