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Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe? *PIC*
By:dbynoe
Date: 5/17/2010, 10:21 pm

Hi all,
I am looking for advice on skinning options for an SOF canoe. I know similar topics have come up before, but couldn't find anything quite right in the archive.

What is the lightest weight skin and coating you can use, but still get a reasonably durable boat? The boat will be used on mountain lakes, so it wont so much be run into stuff in the water, but it will likely get rammed into branches during portages. I am partial to things I can sew on, but am open to all suggestions.

What I am working on is a boat that I can schlep into mountain lakes around Banff. Weight is a factor, the finished frame is a hair under 10 pounds (and admittedly slightly overbuilt) so I want to add as little more weight as possible.

About the boat itself, its 11' x 28" x 13" the frame is mostly red cedar, with a yellow cedar thwart and stems and five ash ribs (the tree was grown in Calgary so its really dense wood), I didn't so much use plans as I just built something that looked right, I blame the inspiration for the boat on DGentry and his transparent wee lassie. I have had it on the water with saran wrap, and it is way more solid than you would think should be given the rib spacing, it paddles well, tracks straight, and is as stable as rec boat.

Messages In This Thread

Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe? *PIC*
dbynoe -- 5/17/2010, 10:21 pm
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
Charlie -- 5/18/2010, 12:06 am
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
dbynoe -- 5/18/2010, 9:10 pm
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
Charlie -- 5/18/2010, 10:45 pm
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
Aaron H -- 5/17/2010, 11:55 pm
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
Dave Gentry -- 5/17/2010, 11:27 pm
Re: Seeking: Ultralight durable skin for SOF Canoe
Mike Bielski -- 5/17/2010, 11:18 pm