Stupid?

I thought it was excellent first hand information on something that very few people have done, at least on this board. As a matter of fact, I printed it off to a PDF file to keep for posterity.

I look forward to hearing more about it. I may use that method in the future. For now, I will probably use the PVC coated Nylon that Tom Yost recommends, for my first kayak built in many years.

I never made secret my fondest memories of the attempt of my dad and I to cover the two kayaks we made with fiberglass vs. canvas back in '86. Before we covered them, the frames were nice and light. After covering them with one layer of FG cloth, one layer of matting and one more layer of cloth and used PE because we could not afford epoxy, the kayaks became very heavy and it took both of us to move the kayaks around. These were 14' with approx. 26" or 28" beam (going from memory). Needless to say, they were only used a handful of times, unfortunately because they were so heavy. Actually, on the second one, in order to reduce the first layer of FG cloth from sagging, we used canvas and coated that with PE before putting the layups of cloth and matt on. While the attempt was a failure not a total one, though, because they were fun to paddle once in the water and we did not crack or cause holes in either boat and as far as I know they are still seaworthy since my dad still has them in his yard. I do have good memories of the father-son bonding we did while building them.

Paul