: good afternoon from the now slightly cooler northeast.

: thanks for all the help with various issues,. Ive been paddling the
: merganser 17W and its been fun still not pushing the boundries
: of the boat yet But I will.

: foot room is a bit tight but workable (size 12).

: anyway Im looking at doing an SOF for a winter project (wife will
: be happy No major sanding or Epoxy) id love to build a water
: dancing boat (ex 18) but the shipping is an issue (don not
: selling across the border) also Im looking at less of a mess
: this winter( actually wife wants less of a mess) so Sof it is!!.
: I may also be helping my niece /her boyfriend build a few SOF
: ,sea ranger I think (they both have plastic boats right now )

: for Myself Im looking at doing a Nikumi 18 or 19 expanded a bit for
: larger feet (size 12).

: Ive read many pros cons on the different skin material but what are
: most of you using??

: Nylon: easy sewing ( one problem cant get good oil based finishes
: in NY state)

: Poly (I like that water based finish works)

: Vinyl Looks great pretty durable (clear Not too durable I hear ?? )
: Vinyl seems labor intensive due to all the prep work and glueing
: compared to sewing.

: your thoughts please

: Ill start in early fall take my time so it will be ready for ice
: out unlike the merganser that I started in Feb.

: have a great night

: 'John"

: many thanks

: "John"

All the other covers require periodic recovering, generally every 3 to 5 years depending on what it's coated with and how it's used. I use heat shrunk aircraft dacron covered with a 4 to 6 ounce fiberglass skin and West's 105/207 epoxy (yeah I know you didn't want epoxy) but it's proven so far to be a permanant cover. Might require repainting eventually, but the skin should last as long as the rest of the boat.

Bill H.