Cotton duck will work - I used it on a small sailboat once and it was fine. When you put it on just snug it down, not too tight. Dampen it using something like a spray bottle and set it in the sun. Cotton will shrink a bit, so it will get nicely tight. A few coats to seal it completely (and I emphasize completely or it will get wet and bag on you) and its ready to paddle. Caution - when you sew it up it can't be too tight or you may collapse the frame when it shrinks - guess how I know that.

: 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