: I have been thinking about building an SOF kayak sometime in the future. My
: local paddling waters contain submerged rocks and tree branches, so I am
: wondering what the toughest, most durable skin material might be. I have
: read the article linked below and these seems like a good alternative, but
: I don't know anything about Xynole and its properties. Any ideas and
: comments are welcome.

: Thanks,
: Ben

Hi Ben,
Read the article and it looks like an awful lot of extra work and expense for a SoF concept. It's obviously do-able.
My padling area doesn't have submerged branches, it's mostly rocky coast. I have bounced off rocks and piers and the only thing to puncture the skin was a piece of sharp steel, remnants of a mooring point. All my kayaks are skinned with 15oz canvas.
12oz nylon would be stronger, 15oz stronger. If you're very worried about underwater objects, go for those.
One problem I have with the shown technique is the gluing fo the skin to the stringers and gunwales. This limits the amount of movement you get in an impact to the skin, it is limited to the stretch between stringers rather than the entire skin.

The most vulnerable areas of a SoF are the stems, keel and stringers, where the skin is taut over a hard surface, and immediately beside them. An extra layer of cloth varnish-glued to the skin will lessen scrape damage to the skin itself.

Inexpensive, light, strong, pick two.

Mike Savage
South West Cork