> although I am far from the covering process in the construction of my
> kayak I wonder, do you have to go through the process of completely
> wrapping the frame in canvas, on the page for the WA1URB it looks as if he
> has covered the hull with canvas and the top will be covered with another
> material? can this be done? what options are there for this? I also want
> to keep the cost down, so I would like to avoid expensive materials for
> covering it. what do you all recomend?

You can use a lighter fabric for covering the deck. Ripstop nylon sold for tentmaking is lightweight, colorful, and frequently you can find it already coted with a water resistant or waterproof urethane coating. You would save anywhere from a few ounces to maybe a pound by using lighter fabric, and the brightly colored, coated fabrics would save you time in painting, and spare you from buying a second paint color.

Another possibility is canvas awning material. The materials sold around me seem to be 7 ounce duck, 45 inches wide, with a water repellent finish and a printed pattern design or color.

Colorful stripes seem to predominate. Either this is popular, or maybe this is because the local fabric store can't sell the stuff, so it accumulates.

If you can get a good price on 10 ounce duck you might see about getting a couple of yards more than you need for just the hull, and use that plus cutting scraps from the hull to make the deck.

For example, for a 16 foot kayak you would get 6 yards ( 18 feet) of canvas for the hull. Most people would order 12 yards so they would have enough to cover the deck in a single piece. That would give you a lot of waste. If you got 8 yards you should have enough to complete things, and save about $15 to $30.

You can get a Sunday newspaper and some tape and and make up a pattern. tape together as many pages as it takes to cover the hull with the paper. Mark the paper to show what would be cut off (excess). See how much of the deck you cna cover with the excess. That should give you an idea of how much excess you would need for the deck.

You can also get inexpensive muslin or cotton and use that either for a deck, or as a pattern. Stores near me are selling some nice prints at under $2 a yard. The first time this stuff gets wet the colors might bleed all over you though.

Seams on the deck don't affect anything, and you really don't need a wide piece of canvas for filling the area between the cockpit and the sheer. A few minutes with a sewing machine will give you a lot of usable fabric. For that matter, find a quilter and have them make a decorative patchwork deck.

Best to you.

Paul Jacobson