Skin On Frame Kayak Fabric

I don t want the skin to rub and abrade on the frames so i curve in the edge between the stringers by subtracting sections of circles.

Skin on frame kayak fabric.

Modern skin on frame kayaks typically use synthetic fabric such as nylon or dacron. Nylon is the most used fabric but probably 95 of my clients skin my boats with polyester. Traditionally greenland kayaks consisted of a driftwood frame with a covering of seal skin. The big advantage for the traditional builders of skin on frame kayaks the aleut and inuit residents of the far north is they could be built with the materials on hand.

It looks great but it not practical choice. Spirit line s skin boat store serving the skin boat community since 1992. Skin on frame kayaks. The frames are cut from marine plywood and the stringers are made from lightweight woods and lashed together with artificial sinew.

Also with our rare earth pigments both can be tinted while still staying very translucent. The centers of each frame gets cut out to save weight and so your legs have some place to go. This method makes an strong durable and very lightweight boat. Some builders use cotton canvas.

The fabric that will make the skin can stretch a bit when the kayak is sitting in the water. Modern skin on frame boats can be ultralight. Modern skin on frame boats are being constructed from wood frames and covered with ultra strong light fabrics. If we take the seal out of the equation it s a fast pleasant economical and environmentally friendly way to build a good kayak.

The technique is known as skin on frame sof or skinboat construction. Once it punctures it will tear easily. Back in stock is our original and primo 840 den. Both are proven on countless 1000s of skin on frame kayaks canoes and other small boats.

Most of our kayaks are built using a hybrid lashed frame construction with a sewn heavy duty dacron skin. Once the fabric is attached to the frame often with heat actiated glue it is gently heated to cause it to shrink and tighten. A synthetic fabric skin is sewn over the frame shrunk waterproofed and becomes a structural member of the boat. Build your own skin on frame kayak.

Skin on frame fabric material. This results in remarkably light boats some less than 20 pounds. You will see photos of kayak covered in clear vinyl while this make s a great looking boat be warned it is not durable. We specialise in skin on frame kayaks as we feel they offer many advantages over plastic and composite kayaks.