From: Patrick Pierquet <ppierquet@teltech.com>
To: "'baidarka@lists.intelenet.net'" <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Subject: [baidarka] Polypropylene for kayak skin?
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 08:24:03 -0500
I hope this isn't rehashing an old discussion(I checked the archives,
and couldn't find an answer), but has anyone experimented with using
POLYPROPYLENE fabric for a baidarka skin? I understand that some
people(eg, Bill Low) use it for the "wear strip" on the keel, but is
there any reason why it couldn't be used for the whole skin? It seems
to have some attractive properties: very light weight(it floats), does
NOT absorb moisture(prefereable to nylon, in this regard), long fatigue
life(the "Materials Handbook" states that polypropylene can be flexed
over 70 million times without failure!), and of course it is very
abrasion-resistant, which is why it's used in carpets. So, why not use
it for the whole skin? Any comments? Also, where can I purchase it?
- Patrick Pierquet
ppierquet@teltech.com