: Can nylon (eg: parachute) be coated with something like urathane and be used
: for spray skirts, etc by the DIY'er at home?

: If so, what would be the best to use... hypalon looks good but it would be
: cheaper to buy a spray skirt than a can of that stuff...

: How about elastomeric roof coatinngs?

: Jamie

You cna buy a urethane based material from camping suppliers. Look for a "seam Sealant" or a material for recoating the waterproof bottoms of tents.

Campmor (www.campmor.com) has this:

Water based urethane sealer.
2 oz. tube good for 1,2 or 3 person tent.
Ecologically sound WATER BASED formula! Spreads more evenly and it's non-flammable. Translucent liquid penetrates and coats stitch holes for complete waterproofness. Wide-tipped applicator.

The 2 ounce tube is US$ 2.99. They also have this stuff -- or something very similar - in a 10 ounce size for US$ 7.99 the 10 ounce jar (Item Number: 80950) comes with a brush, too. Such a deal They say the 10 ounce jar covers 75 square feet. 2 ounces would probably be just enough for a sprayskirt.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=12390

The urethane is a very thin and therefore flexible coating. The roofing material should work, but it will be thicker, and less flexibl. You may not like how heavy and bulky it is.

Fabric stores also offer vinyl material which you can bond to your fabric with an iron. The blurb from the www.joann.com website on this product is:
- - - -
HeatnBond Iron-on Vinyl
Iron-on vinyl offers clear, lustrous water-resistant protection. Contains an advanced adhesive formulation for quick and easy application resulting in a smooth and flexible finish. Made by Therm O Web.

A sheet 17 inches wide and 72 inches long is about US$15, and on sale for less on their website -- but you'll pay for shipping. Check a local fabric shop for the stuff. You should be able to overlap this an inch and cover wider pieces of fabric.

For what it is worth, it might be cheaper to just buy regular vinyl and use that without any nylon fabric than to mess with the iron on stuff.
No sewing either, just assemble it with a vinyl cement like VLP.

Hope this helps.

PGJ