: Don't be surprised that your skin and coating cost more than the frame, it
: would be hard to build a frame that was expensive enough that this
: wouldn't be the case almost regardless of the materials you cover it with.
: Same with a strip boat- the glass and epoxy are much more expensive than
: the wood strips.

: If you buy two batches of goop for 12-oz nylon you'll probably have a bit
: left for next time, but Corey is pretty spot-on with materials. He builds
: a lot of boats and knows the stuff he sells really well.

: As far as alternatives, there are very few that are as specific for boat skin
: and as durable as this stuff. Coelan marine coating is possibly a better
: choice for durability and is much easier to apply, but costs almost twice
: what Corey's goop costs. Fox Industries sells a water-based Poly Urea
: coating that is very similar to goop, but you have to buy in large
: quantities, which negates the cost factor for a single boat.

: There are lots of alternatives beyond this that people use, but they're not
: intended for this kind of application, and whenever you use a product for
: something it wasn't designed for you take a risk. Goop and Coelan are the
: only things designed for boat skins, and two of the few coatings flexible
: enough to work over stretchy nylon.

: Nylon is very durable, and if you coat with anything other than these two
: things, you will probably have to reskin before the nylon needs to be
: replaced, so you have to figure that cost into your long-term strategy. If
: savings in the short term is your primary goal and you don't mind redoing
: your work at a much sooner interval, cotton canvas and high-quality
: oil-based paint is surprisingly durable. The flexibility of the canvas and
: paint are really well matched, and if you paddle in salt water mildew is
: much less of a problem. You can also consider something that doesn't need
: a coating, like vinyl.

: This is a tough decision, probably the toughest of any part of building a SOF
: kayak. It comes up almost once a month on the Qajaq USA forum, so you
: might want to jump over there and search the archives for the opinions of
: people who build primarily skin boats.

: Good Luck!

: m

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thanks for the info. now that i know that that isnt a bad price, i think i will go for the urethane on that site, i just thought the price sounded high. i guess i can afford it, and i would rather pay for this rather than run the risk of puncturing a pvc coated polyester hull on some sharp rocks, or on debris in a river. better to go for the strongest stuff now, rather than puncture later.