ok, i'll be the odd man out. i use 10 oz. non treated canvas. once on, i coat it with thompson mildo and waterseal. then i paint it with exterior house in any color ya want. this boat is 8 yrs old and doing well. i need to repaint this year as it's getting dirty. i paddle in the puget sound and some lakes. it's a 20' Baidarka double. my next boat i will do the same. well that's my 2 cents worth.

Outlaw

: Hi everyone,

: I'm building my first kayak. It's a Yost wood framed Yarra.
: Ultimately I plan to build a second folder, but I had all of the
: materials (except fabric) on hand in my shop to build a wood
: frame as a first try. My big question is that as I research this
: more and more I'm realizing that most people seem to skin their
: wooden boats in nylon. When I build the folder the PVC vinyl
: seems like the best bet, but on a wooden frame I'm not sure. I
: haven't been able to find a whole lot of info online about the
: virtues of the nylon vs the PVC. Nylon seems like it will be as
: strong or stronger than the PVC on punctures, but how about
: abrasions? If I go nylon does anyone know of any good internet
: sources for step by step directions? from what I've found it
: seems pretty easy, but I haven't found really clear examples.

: I should also mention that this will be used mostly in rivers and
: lakes for casual use.

: Thanks!

: -John R