Subject: Re: [baidarka] skin materials
From: Michael Daly (mikedaly@magma.ca)
Date: Fri Sep 16 2005 - 00:21:58 EDT
On 14 Sep 2005 at 7:35, Hyok Lee wrote:
> I would suppose that a lot of the nylon fabrics used for making
> tents would shed water pretty well, but breathe also.
Tent canopy fabrics breathe but do not shed water very well - if they
are old and have lost their basic DWR, they leak easily. Tent flies
are waterproof, but they are coated and do not breathe. The only
exceptions are single-wall tents that use Gore-Tex-like fabrics.
Old canvas tents, single layer, would saturate with water and the
yarns would swell up and keep out the worst of the water.
I think a kayak with a fabric like the latter would be a wet ride.
Even if the fabric swelled up, it would not stand up to continual
soakings combined with the pressure of waves. It would be breathable
when dry, but wouldn't stay dry on a kayak.
It would be hard to find a three-layer Gore Tex with a tough enough
fabric on the outside. The garment makers have been moving to
lighter shell materials than in the old days. You could find a mid-
weight polyester shell with Gore Tex, but you'd have to make sure it
didn't contact the frame anywhere. Polyester would have better UV
resistance than a nylon shell.
The only part that needs to be breathable would be the deck above the
cockpit. You could consider doing a two-layer design with a
waterproof layer zippered over the Gore Tex. Close it when it's a
wet ride and unzip to expose the Gore Tex when it's a relatively calm
day. It would be like an oversized Gore Tex spraydeck.
Mike
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