That almost sounds like you built with green wood. Having no experience with skin kayaks I can't offer suggestions, but it would seem to me that if you've gotten this far and are comfortable with soaking the boat to go paddling, that might work and be worth finishing.

> An update-

> I pulled the skin in sections...restretched and retacked. It
> looked great until the next morning....elephant skin again.

> I've sprayed the interior with water and pulled the boat into
> an adjacent greenhouse (about 110 degress F) with hopes of shrinking
> the skin. With each application of water, the wood swells and the
> skin looks great, but it refuses to shrink. Of course, the skin bags
> again when the wood dries out.

> As the skin is great when wet, I expect she would look and perform
> well in the water. Should I finish her out, as is, knowing that she
> will be fine when damp?

> I've spent a lot of time around traditional boats that "hang
> in the slings" until the wood swells. Perfectly acceptable.

> Any thought?

> Many thanks! Geoff