I've spent a reasonable amount of time this weekend trying to skin my Baidarka. (That is, to put a skin ON my Baidarka, not the other vision implied by skinning. )(Using #10 Cotton Duck and unwaxed dental floss.)

I got the bow sewn together, and got it stretched longitudinally and hooked on the tailpiece.

I sewed the tightening loops in the deck and ran the line through them to do the hull tightening.

I started tightening the hull using the 'shoe lace method' and just as I was warned by Brinck in the book, I managed to tear a loop right through the canvas. I've patched the hole, so that's not an issue.

In a desire to make some measurable progress my wife an I stretched the hull and stapled it to the gunwales. The hull is now 'drum tight', as desired.

So to the question...

Do y'all think I should:
1. Remove the 'shoelace' line, and simple sew the deck seam, trusting in that to keep the whole assembly tight when I remove the staples.
2. Replace the now missing lacing loop, carefully tighten the 'shoelace', using that to keep the hull tightening stress, then sew the deck seam.
3. Other...

Many thanks.

Aaron Cunningham