Subject: Re: [baidarka] Dacron
From: brian.nystrom@att.net
Date: Mon Oct 29 2001 - 16:37:25 EST
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to this list, but it looks like the place to be for the near future.
> My next project will be a skin boat (and possibly many more of them). I
> just read Bill Low's excellent site about skinning a boat with Dacron:
>
> http://www.imaginelan.com/aleut/polyester_skinning.html
>
> He recommends 13 oz. fabric. Can anyone suggest good sources for Dacron
> (and/or ballistic nylon) that don't involve a lot of middlemen? Is there a
> drastic difference between what I would buy from an aircraft supplier, for
> instance, and what I might be able to find or special order through a local
> fabric retailer?
The only source I know of for the 13 ounce fabric that Bill uses is Dyson, Baidarka and Co. on the west coast. That's where Bill gets his fabric (and where I got mine). Aircraft suppliers won't have anything that heavy, usually topping out at 3.7 ounce. Dyson also sells other weights in polyester and several types of nylon up to 26 ounce. I understand that he also sells artificial sinew and sewing thread, if you don't have local sources for them.
The 13 oz. fabric is expensive at $6.00 per linear foot (79" wide). It's a bear to sew, but if you take your time and follow Bill's instructions, the results can be very nice. The key is that the fabric must be TIGHT when sewn, as the shrink factor afterwards is very small. Also, when you order the fabric, pay the extra money to have it shipped rolled rather than folded. It's tough to get the creases out after skinning and some simply won't come out at all.
If you're building a boat with a center stringer down the deck (peaked deck), Bill's instructions will be easy to follow. If you're building a boat with two stringers and a flat deck, you'll want to use a temporary "stringer" as a cutting and stitching guide. I used a 3/4" x 1/8" x 8' long aluminium strip clamped in place down the center of the deck and it worked great.
-- RegardsBrian - Baidarka Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside Baidarka or Baidarka archives without author's permission Submissions: baidarka@paddlewise.net Subscriptions: baidarka-request@paddlewise.net Searchable archive: http://rtpnet.org/robroy/baidarka
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