: It seems that everyone sews their skins to their frames. Is there a
: reason for doing this other than the aesthetic? Is there any
: reason not to attach my skin in two pieces by stapling the hull
: to the gunwhales, then stapling the deck to the gunwhales, and
: covering the seams with a thin strip of cedar?

: Getting ready to cover my first kayak, and just want to make sure
: before I do someting stupid.

: Thanks,

: John R

You can do it with nylon very successfully. Stretch the nylon as hard as you can as you staple it, and then shrink it when you're done with a spray bottle of water and a hot iron. (See the Skinboat School website for directions on shrinking). Actually, my tightest skin was done that way rather than sewing, but of course that says more about my sewing than it does about the virtues of stapling. Just make sure you use stainless steel or Monel staples! Also, with a little bit of clever folding at the bow and stern, you should be able to do it without any sewing at all.

Jeff