Hi all,

I am currently fininshing the frame for my first kayak via Putz book. I have searched far and wide in the Phoenix area and can't find polyester canvas which was my first choice in skin material.

So I did find some #10 cotton duck and am planning to skin the boat with this. My question is twofold. First, exactly how tight do you want to pull the canvas initially? My brute brother is coming over to help and I fear he thinks it should be so tight as to bounce kids off of. Second and most important, after I have skinned the boat with cotton, have any of you wet it down and let it dry in the sun to "pre-shrink" it before painting? Is this a bad idea?

Thanks in advance, I absolutly love boatbuilding and really appreciate the good advice on this forum.

Kirk