I was at a kayak / canoe store demo gathering this weekend and was very impressed with the Swift Canoes. They have models that use flax material for part of the outer sheathing. Absolutely beautiful and craftsmanship excellent. No endorsement here just an interesting fabric use. A person who called himself a structural sheathing engineer from the plant was there and gave me the story.

http://www.swiftcanoe.com/canoe/FlaxFusion.html