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From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imagelan.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Arctic Lite 19
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 10:23:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: Larry Bliven <foxhill_at_shore.intercom.net>

> http://www.iserv.net/~rendezvu/BetsieBayNFO.html
>
> Arctic Lite 19 utilizes a modern marine plywood and hardwood framework and 
> tough, slippery nylon/vinyl composite skin. '
> 
> Specifications: Length: 19 feet, Max. Beam: 21", Wt: about 35 lbs. Cockpit:
> 16x22-1/ 2"
> ---------------
> i've just read the web site. anyone like to comment on this boat?
> the weight is interesting considering it's dimensions.

That weight isn't that unusual for a skin/frame boat.  My 18'7" baidarka
weighs 34 pounds and I used a fairly heavy nylon skin with hypallon coating.
I intend to reskin it with polyester fabric and aliphatic urethane coating
and the weight will probably get down around 28 pounds.

A friend who builds several different skin frame boats builds his
greenland style boats at 24 pounds and a sweet greenland/baidarka
cross thats about 28 pounds.

kirk
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From: Scott Ives <ssives_at_erols.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Skinning wooden kayak
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 00:01:35 -0400
Hello Gang,

  Kirk recently wrote that he was planning to reskin a wooden kayak with
polyester fabric and aliphatic urethane coating.  Does anyone have any
experience with these materials?  I recently reskinned an old Klepper
(yes, it really can be done), but I'm not thrilled with my choice of
materials.

  I used Sunbrella for the deck (a nice synthetic canvas, but a bit
light) and a heavy vinyl for the hull.  I've experimented with hypalon
in the past, but found it hard to get a really smooth coat.  It is also
very heavy.  So what is this aliphatic urethane coat stuff?  Is it
difficult to put on?  Where do you buy it?  Will it stay pliable like
hypalon if I want to put it on a skin for a folding kayak?

  Thanks for any input you'all can provide!

  - Scott
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From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imagelan.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Skinning wooden kayak
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 09:45:26 -0400 (EDT)
On Tue, 30 Jun 1998, Scott Ives wrote:

>   Kirk recently wrote that he was planning to reskin a wooden kayak with
> polyester fabric and aliphatic urethane coating.

My baidarka is aluminum but that's a minor detail.

>  Does anyone have any experience with these materials?

A friend uses both regularly.  There are a couple of pictures of his
boats on my web page http://world.std.com/~jkolsen

He gets the polyester fabric from Dyson, Baidarka and Co. (ads in the 
back of sea kayaker magazine)  The aliphatic urethane is made by Gaco.  It's
nasty stuff and you need to use a cartridge respirator at a minimum.
I haven't heard of it being used in a folding application, yet.  If
you try it let me know how it goes.

>   I used Sunbrella for the deck (a nice synthetic canvas, but a bit
> light) and a heavy vinyl for the hull.  I've experimented with hypalon
> in the past, but found it hard to get a really smooth coat. 

Did you thin the hypallon?  I thinned the hypallon, roughly 50% thinner 
(Xylene), for the first few coats.
 
kirk
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