Thank you Mr. Allnut. Any tips on shrinking the stuff down to get a nice even and tight covering?

: Hi Garland,

: Welcome to the forum! I think we can come up with several suggestions for you
: regarding your questions.

: Regarding a source for the Dacron, I would recommend a fellow named George
: Dyson and Baidarka in Washington.

: Details on contacting them are here: KayakWiki : Dyson, Baidarka
: & Co.

: You want a dacron between 8-12 oz in weight for your purpose... because it is
: for racing, you likely will want one on the lighter side.

: Others will need to help you regarding tape... I usually sew the cloth on to
: the wood through many small holes.

: The usual coating for this material is polyurethane varnish. There are
: proponents for water borne and solvent borne and two part polyurethane. I
: have used water-borne, as some say it is more flexible than the solvent
: borne. We usually put 3-8 coats on the cloth, depending on how smooth we
: want it to be.

: Rick