: For most traditional SOF building, builders might pull the skin tight and
: staple it to the top of the gunnels and finish by sewing the skin together
: at the deck. You would remove the staples one by one as you pull the deck
: seam tight and sew it.

: What book or instructions are you working from that you intend to leave
: staples in? Basically any staples will work since they get removed. Many
: builders sew with no staples as well.

Jay, he's probably following the Yost instructions for a wood frame & PVC fabric kayak. In the method described you pull the fabric tight around the hull and staple to the gunwale. The fabric is trimmed, and the deck fabric is then glued to the hull fabric at the gunwale.

I don't go anywhere near saltwater and I used plain old staples. For those that are in salt environments, what would the problem with steel staples be? What would happen if they rust away from water that gets in between the gunwale & the skin joint? The staples by then have long completed their job. Unless you are using clear vinyl skin, no one could see some rust spots there, could they?

Cheers,
Bryan