Tom,

I'm building a folder using your frame construction techniques. I used a polyester skin instead of the PVC like you use. I just sewed the skin up this weekend. I plan on lacing the fordeck. My question is did I sew the aft deck to tight? It is drum tight and sounds nice when I tap it. Do you think it will be to tight to slip the frame in and out of? I am also thinking that I have made it to tight longitudinally, but I can easily let out an inch before I coat the skin tonight. I also have to do the cockpit tonight. I plan on doing the laciing hardware tomorrow night. I need to travel with it on Thursday.

Mike

: Here are a few pics from a new "rolling" folder. It's not
: quite completed, but will be in a couple of days. Remaining is a
: CF coaming and cutting open the deckridge and installing the
: Velcro, or zipper closure.

: The deck skin appears a bit "loose", but that's intentional.
: On a non-folder, the PVC would have been pulled tighter for
: gluing, but for folder use, the skin , if built with too much
: tension, will want to recoil after being cut open, making it
: difficult to close properly when in use. This is also true of
: sewn and heat shrunk skins.

: A glued PVC skin has proven, to me anyway, to be a better
: folding skin than a sewn and coated one, as it folds without
: creasing, doesn't shrink when off the boat, and doesn't go
: slack in the water.

: The 6 yds.(61" X 36") of PVC costs about $30.00US. A sewn/ coated
: skin looks great, until it is cut open. Then it gets pretty baggy
: no matter the closure method. When done, it's ready to paddle, and
: no waiting for elastomer coatings to cure before use, or more
: importantly before folding.

: The blue closed cell foam under the temp coaming is compressed
: and serves to "hopefully" stop water entry when inverted.
: After testing, the CF coaming will be made. The kayak had been
: paddled with a plastic wrap skin, but not yet with the PVC skin.

: Thanks,

: Tom