Subject: Re: baidarka translucent skin
From: James Mitchell (mariner@seanet.com)
Date: Tue Dec 07 1999 - 00:50:25 EST
Bill, I'd like to know exactly what that polyester material is, where to
buy, how much, etc. Thanks!
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Low <billow@capecod.net>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 1999 6:21 AM
Subject: Re: baidarka translucent skin
Dave;
Understanding that I am a proponent of polyester I have used both. No
contest in my estimation. Polyester is better. A bit more difficult to sew,
because it does not stretch as much as nylon, the final results are much
superior. If translucency is you goal you can't beat polyester. Nylon has a
tendency to soak up much more one part urethane giving it a yellowish cast.
The polyester is almost dead white and passes light very well.
I use both one part and two part urethane. The two part is the abrasion and
puncture resistant part for the bottom. We don't get a lot of ice here on
the Cape but when we do we paddle through it with abandon. No effect on the
boat at all.
I disagree that nylon is tougher than polyester. George's polyester is a
very tight weave, the nylon I have used is much less so. I take a square of
coated material to my shows with a screw driver attached so people can try
to punch a hole in to see how tough the combination is. In three years only
four holes have been but in it. You could not do that with the nylon
combination. My nylon covered boats did absorb water and the skin did
slacken. One young girl said it looked like an ear of corn. Needless to say
that skin came off.
MY boats have been grounded repeatedly on the oyster beds of Florida and the
rocks of Maine without any of them being punctured or cut. As far as I know
the two part urethane has never been abraded off.
So far the combination I have been championing has never failed the use test
so I continue to use it.
I'll get off the soap box for now.
Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: David Keefe <lamoille@sover.net>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 1999 8:32 AM
Subject: baidarka translucent skin
> I'm lashing the hull stringers on (a most tedious task) and needing to
make
> a decision on a skin soon. My boat is made of rather unusual types of
> wood, a result of my desire to use up the stuff in my shop, rather than
buy
> new wood. This seems consistent with the spirit of using materials at
> hand, but a side effect is that the frame is becoming so attractive that I
> hate to cover it up.
>
> For about 20 years, I've had a small stash of padouk on the rack. This is
> a tropical hardwood, seems kinda like mahogany, but denser. The most
> striking thing about it is the color. When you cut it, it is a fiery
> orange. The color deepens quickly to a rich red, then eventually mellows
> to a dark purple. I scarfed together the available lengths and used this
> wood for gunnels, keelson, and hull stringers. Contrasts nicely with the
> spruce deck beams, pine bow and stern plates, cherry deck stringers, and
> oak ribs. The kayak will be a little heavier than necessary, but it's
> really cool.
>
> I've been intending all along to try for a translucent skin, but now I
want
> it even more. I've been looking over George Dyson's fabric samples, and I
> can't decide. I had planned to use polyester, and I know that Bill Low
and
> others have had good results with that fabric and aliphatic urethane, but
> I've been wondering if my concern about nylon's expansion when wet is
> overblown. The 8-ounce nylon looks like the best bet for translucency,
and
> the price is certainly right. I'm hoping for some suggestions from you
> folks. Things I've been wondering about include:
>
> How much more difficult is polyester in terms of getting it to fit the
> bifed bow? I have the impression that the nylon is easier to fit, and the
> 8-ounce nylon would be easier to sew than the heavier 13-ounce polyester
> that George sells.
>
> How important is it to use aliphatic (2-part) urethane rather than a
> standard one-part spar urethane? If I use the lightweight nylon and
> standard urethane, am I setting myself up for disappointment in terms of
> abrasion, etc? I'm not totally opposed to using two-part, but I've only
> spent $35 on materials so far (lashing materials and needles, enough for a
> couple of boats at least), and it would be nice if I didn't have to spend
> big money on a coating.
>
> How do these skin-and-coating systems respond to cold weather? I'm in
> northern Vermont, and like to paddle whenever I can, as long as things
> aren't totally frozen. Do the skins get brittle in the cold?
>
> Is the 8-ounce nylon as tough as the 13-ounce polyester? I've heard that
> nylon in general is tougher than polyester. I'll be paddling mostly in
> small to medium lakes, as I'm a couple of hundred miles from the nearest
> ocean. I'm unlikely to surf onto coral or be dumped by waves onto a
> rock-strewn beach, so I don't really need major toughness, but we do have
> slate, pointed sticks, old bridge pilings, etc., and our Lake Champlain,
> while not on the scale of the Great Lakes, is still big enough to generate
> some waves, and has a pretty rocky shore.
>
> Are there other options for clear coatings?
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>
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