Date: Tue, 03 Mar 1998 22:00:02 -0500 (EST)
From: Wes Boyd <wesboyd@delphi.com>
Subject: Re: [baidarka] What Ceconite is. (was Re: newcomer)
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
>Ceconite is a brandname of heat shrink dacron. One supplier with
>which I am familiar is Aircraft Spruce and Specialty. They carry
>Ceconite and a generic form of heat shrink dacron. The latter is about
>half the cost ($3.80us/yd for 66" 3.7oz generic vs. $7.25/yd for 60"
>3.7 oz Ceconite). I phoned AS&S earlier today to find out the difference,
>and basically it is that Ceconite has been certified under more stringent
>FAA regulations. The sales rep agreed that FAA certification probably
>wasn't important from a boatbuilding perspective (it is far easier to
>learn to swim than 'tis to fly).
My experience with Ceconite runs more to airplanes, and, not all that
recent. The big advantage that this material has over natural fabrics (Grade
A cotton, Irish Linen) is that it last so much better in sunlight and
outside storage. Natural fabrics, hangared outside, typically go bad in 2-5
years, or even less, but can be stretched a bit if hangered. Ceconite
usually lasts 10-20 years before a recover is necessary. Believe me, the
most complicated kayak cover is but a brief warmup to the simplest aircraft
cover job, so not having to do it again for as long as possible is a major
asset.
-- Wes