: . . . Not
: too expensive - about $65 a gallon.
: I'd like to hear if anyone's tried it and how well it worked. I may
: just have to get a small can to try it on some fabrics. at the
: worst I'd still have some left to coat my tool handles...

I considered it at one time, but I could only find small cans, and the cost seemed too high. In gallon size it would still be 3 to 6 times the price of exterior paint. For about the same price you can get liquid neoprene or hypalon from George Dyson, Dyson Baidarka and Co, Bellingham WA

It is a soft vinyl plastic. While that may translate into small gouges in the coating, such damage should be easily fixed with a quick touch-up. On the other hand, Hypalon is very resistant to being scratched off, and elastomeric roofing compound is 1/3rd the cost and water based.

I'm not fond of dealing with strong solvents, such as the plasti-dip thinner or the thinners for hypalon or neoprene.

Add the price of your fabric and the price of your coating compound. Include the cost of solvents, brushes, etc. I think you'll find it close to the price of using a precoated fabric, such as the Coverlite Tom Yost has been using.
The coverlite is also vinyl coated, but it seems to be a tougher vinyl than the plasti-dip. The precoated fbrics have a very smmoth finish, too.

If you coat your own fabric you have your choice of fabric for the base. That would run from cheesecloth to bulletproof kevlar. If you go with precoated fabrics you have some limitations in your pallette. Even with those limitations there are some excellent materials which are ready to use.

I wouldn't sweat it worrying about the strength of the fabric. More and more people are using the clear, unreinforced vinyl material from Wal-Mart. It seems tp be strong enough. The price is low, and there is no painting, so once the skin is installed you can go paddle. Last trips to my local Wal-Mart have caused me some dismay. I can only find precut pieces of the vinyl--and they cut them too short. Perhaps they'll have the stuff online, otherwise there are other suppliers, such as Jo-Ann fabrics, but they are more expensive.

When the price of the clear vinyl gets as high as the cos of the reinforced fabric you have the choice of color and strength, or the shock value of a clear skin.

Worst case scenario is that you use the wrong fabric and coating and need to reskin it. The second skin is faster to put on, and you'll be reskinning the frame several times during its lifespan. You'll have plenty of chances to try out different options.

PGJ