Boatbuilding: More Than One Way to Skin A Kayak

When we left off last time the kayak frame was complete and ready to be skinned. The material I ordered to cover the kayak had arrived and I was planning the skinning process. Well, it's time to cover it. The material used to cover the frame is 8 lb. ballistic polyester.  It is a very resilient heavy duty woven fabric, originally developed for bullet-proof vests.The fabric is available from Dyson, Baidarka and Company in Bellingham Washington. If you want to take the time to read about an interesting fellow, George Dyson is just that. His revival of the baidarka, an Aleutian style sea kayak along with other ventures and personal background is quite a story.

Skinning starts by draping the fabric over the inverted kayak frame. Pencil marks where the fabric crosses  the keel help keep things lined up during the process. I'm using a piece of fabric 72" wide and 16' long. By being careful there is just enough material to cover the entire frame.

The fabric is pulled to the stems at each end an d temporarily clamped.

The factory edge of the fabric on one side is lined up just below the top of the gunwale and stapled in place with stainless steel staples about 2" apart. The stapling starts at the middle of the frame and continues to each end. After eight or ten staples are put in on one side I moved to the opposite side of the boat, pulled the fabric tight and secured that side with about the same number of staples.  

Starting with the edge of the fabric on one side results in extra fabric left past the staple line on the other side. This extra fabric will be used to cover the topside.

After both sides have been stapled to the stems the fabric is cut just below the staple line.

When uncoated polyester is cut it starts to unravel quickly. I used a small propane torch to melt the fabric edges each time cuts were made. The raw edge and staple lines will be covered with a wood rub rail after the kayak is painted but I still wanted the line to be reasonably clean and straight.

The kayak is then turned right side up and ready for the stems to be sewn up.

The clamps are removed from the stem and a running stitch is sewn from bottom to top..

The stitch is tied at the top and the excess fabric is cut off leaving about 3/4" of material past the stitch.

The extra fabric is folded  over and a whip stitch is used to finish the material at the stem. The same method is used at both ends.

At this point  rope handles are installed at the bow and stern to simplify carrying the kayak. The rope handle goes through holes drilled in the gunwales. A slightly larger hole has to be put in the fabric. I've got one of those old hammers from the sixties that has a removable hollow handle with a screwdriver in it. With the handle off its the same size as the hole I needed. So, I heated the end with a propane torch and melted a hole in the fabric. Melting through the fabric opens an area for drilling and prevents it from unraveling.

Knots on the inside of the gunwales secure the handles.  A few braids provide a little more to hold onto and I think it looks better.

The fabric is stretched over the topside and stapled just above the first staple line. The slit in the fabric above the cockpit allows the material to reach the opposite gunwale at the kayaks widest point. The fabric is stapled to the decks in basically the same way as the bottom going back a forth from side to side.

The fabric then is stapled to the inside bottom of the cockpit carlins along the sides and to the backrest. The fabric is being pulled as tight as I can pull it before stapling it in place.

Frame is skinned and ready for heat shrinking.  

Polyester can be shrunk by applying heat. Although I've been really stretching the material along the way it can be tightened even more by ironing. You have to move quickly, support the iron's weight and be careful not to stop in one place for long. The heat causes the fabric to draw in every direction removing any left-over wrinkles or sags.  One warning on the ironing process. My wife peeked in while I was ironing. She has suggested that if her ironing board was shaped like a kayak I might be of more value around the house. So, iron with discretion.

OK, the next decision is about paint colors and scheme. It's personal. Sorry, I have already ruled out a NASCAR theme.