Message-Id: <v01510102b1eccc837a8e@[199.170.68.197]>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 10:37:26 -0400
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
From: robm@shaysnet.com (Rob Macks)
Subject: Re: [baidarka] Polypropylene for kayak skin?
>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
Because this cloth absorbs 10 times as much as fiberglass. I use it for
abrasion strips on my boats too, but if I used it on my whole hull my boats
would wiegh 200 pounds.
Rob Macks
Laughing Loon Custom Canoes & Kayaks
www.LaughingLoon.com
All the best,
Rob Macks
www.LaughingLoon.com