: I've just started building my first kayak using pvc. How strong are
: they? I've watched videos of guys rolling them, but how well do
: they hold up to rocks and underwater logs? I'm planning on
: building about 7 of these with my Boy Scouts this Winter in
: hopes of taking them down the Wisconsin River in August. I
: really don't want to build them and then find out we should have
: used canvas. Any thoughts?

: John "Rock" Rockefeller
: Scoutmaster Troop 747
: Waupun, Wiscosnin USA

Well, PVC comes in several flavors. If you are skinning with transparent vinyl then, no it's not particularly strong compared to other vinyls. The other vinyls being cored/sandwiched material such as Coverene. This is very tough indeed. Much more so than canvas - which would be my last choice, in any case!
See Tom Yost's website about skinning with PVC, www.yostwerks.com and Mauritzon.com for Coverene and other vinyls.

What boat are you building?

Dave Gentry