I've always thought fabric would shrink as it dries. What about impregnating the fabric with a waterbase paint to "set" it into shape. Have you considered making some test panels from leftovers to experiment on? Have you posed this problem on the Baidarka List?

> 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