: Yes- it is normal. Unlike nylon, cotton canvas shrinks when it gets
: wet. It also gets stronger when it gets wet.

: m
I'm doing this with my Boy Scout Troop, so I'm looking for the easiest way to do this with the kids. The plan was for the Scoutmaster, that's me, to make all the mistakes on his kayak, which I have! The plans we are using are from the 1950's and call for "Airplane Dope". We don't want to use the Dope so what is your suggestion for a skin for the kids to use? If we use nylon, will it hold up as well as with the kids using it? And how would we seal the nylon? I'm planning on making one more kayak, but with this one I'm going to use 10mil clear plastic so I can show off how it's made when I talk to kids about joining Boy Scouts. I'll post some pictures soon.