> Hi Bram,

> How did you skin yor kayak? The plans call for the hull to be done in one
> piece, being stretched along the gunwales, v-cut at the ends, and sewn up
> along the endposts. I imagine this is done similar to that shown at the
> Folbot page at http://www.folbot.com/tour3.htm I thought pvc wasn't able
> to stretch much.

> At this site http://robroy.totalsports.net/baidarka/slideshow/index.html
> pvc strips are cut to match the keel, chines, and gunwales, heated to
> remove wrinkles and then glued (not sewn).

> I am not sure of which method to follow.

> Greg Redden from Sea Fever Kayaks recommended in past messages not to use
> laminated pvc. I picked up some Weblon Vanguard from a local canvas shop,
> and glued various pieces together. The next day I grabbed the corners with
> a pair of pliers and pulled. The glued part held, but pulled the
> underlying pvc up, exposing the base fabric. Should I be using
> non-laminated pvc? What kind, or manufacturer and brand name did you use?

> Thanks, Paul.

Well Paul, my use of PVC was totally my own initiative and I had to develop the method on my own as at the time I was not Internet literate and didn't have the luxury of all the experience given at this and other BBS's.

The product used has a trade name of "Faltec", whether this name is universal I have no idea. It is a PVC coated polyester cloth and it is most difficult to remove the PVC from the cloth and is extremely strong. I can put a 4" hole in it with a knife and I can't rip it with all my strength. The material has virtually no stretch and does not appear to shring with heat. The PVC does bubble and melt when too much heat is applied.

As there is very little stretch, my kayak was done with 6 panels all glued together with a heat set 3/4" wide seam. The method used created an indestructable seam which isn't very noticeable.

If you are familiar with the baidarka list server there is info there on similar applications to yours. Nick's web site has info somewhere for the list server. A gentleman called Stefano Morreti, I think has completed a folding kayak using PVC material similar to what I used.

Bram