Does 3/4 inch nylon webbing shrink or get longer due to temperature change?

Submitted bydean zimmer onSat, 04/06/2019 - 16:23

When the temperature gets low, the hatches get loose. Is the nylon webbing expanding or is the kayak shrinking? When the temperature is up everything is fine.

nylon stretches easily and really stretches when wet.  You need to use poly for hatch straps which is a bummer because poly gets weak faster.

Thank you so much. I will change them all out. It makes me fill good that I wasn't loosing my mind.

Nylon webbing stretches when wet, so good to change them out.

Your question was about cold conditions. Some foam materials used for gasket materials will shrink when cold, and that could interfere with a tight seal causing leakage into the hatch. Not sure if this is what you mean by hatches becoming loose.

dean zimmer

Tue, 04/09/2019 - 07:28

Thank you for your comment.

My Kayak hangs upside down under shelter. In the morning when the temperature is about 30 degrees F, the hatches are hanging a little open. When the temperature increases during the day, the hatches close. This happens every day. I suspect it is the nylon webbing. Everything is dry. Having been a sailor for over 60 years, I know that nylon stretches but I didn't expect a 6 to 10 in length of 3/4 in wide nylon webbing to shrink that much. Never to old to learn.