The vinyl is somewhat delicate, although not nearly as much as a saran/pallet-wrapped frame. With care, you should be able to make the vinyl skin last quite a while to get a much better feel for the handling of the kayak. You wouldn't paddle a saran-wrapped frame where you are likely to have puncture or abrasion hazards, and the vinyl should be treated similarly. The heavier the vinyl, the better, but eventually, the heavy vinyl is going to get expensive for a temporary skin. At least its faster than sewing... The vinyl will not hold up well at all to abrasion or puncture, at least not like a fabric-reinforced skin. While it will deflect some, anything sharp will readily cut it, and even smooth rocks will easily tear it along the keel and chines.

I tried to skin my first SOF with "smoked" (i.e. tinted) vinyl from WallyWorld. It was thinner than the clear vinyl they had, which was still thinner than the vinyl you can find for convertible top windows, etc. A good stapler is essential, you want the staples to hold the material tightly, but not go through it; my cheap stapler was not consistent at all, leading to a lot of headaches. It was my first attempt at skinning any kayak, so I made many mistakes and eventually scrapped the vinyl in favor of fabric. Thicker material would likely have been successful.

: The more I think about this the more I am warming up to the idea. I love the
: coolness factor for show and tell too. Always had in the back of my mind
: building one and skinning it in clear vinyl but mainly for attracting
: attention/marketing.

: I understand that this is not a durable skin and I you have to take care of
: it. Think of it as temporary, but how likely is it to be punctured by a
: stray stick or rock? I am assuming it's going to stretch some and unless
: it really sharp odds are you would be OK? I also assume abrasion is more
: of an issue than anything else?

: Come summer here it's going to be like paddling in a oven! Sea sok would be a
: necessity!