Carl Andersen Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hi I am new here I have intended to build the skin kayak "SHAD" this summer. I like the Greenland styling. But where can I buy Ballistic Nylon in Europe? I live in Denmark. Carl Andersen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Maybe we have a member that can answer that because I have no idea. Just make sure what you find is uncoated, you don't want any coating on it and most nylon is coated. I can ship it to you but it costs about $45 US dollars to ship a package to Europe. Just sent some polyester to Finland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Andersen Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 I can ship it to you but it costs about $45 US dollars to ship a package to Europe. Just sent some polyester to Finland. Thanks Jeff It probably becomes the easyest to do it that way, and maybe also the most secondaryable to do in that way, that is only 19 foot Nylon I look forward to building "SHAD". And sorry if my English isn't correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 If you had not said you were in Denmark I would have never guessed by your English! Probably better than most of ours. :-) International shipping prices are so high, if you do order I would suggest ordering everything you want at once. It will be cheaper than coming back and making a second order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Andersen Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 International shipping prices are so high, if you do order I would suggest ordering everything you want at once. It will be cheaper than coming back and making a second order. Thanks Jeff Can you tell me how long does the skin last before it's to be reskinned on the kayak 7 oz ? 12 oz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Depends on how you use it and take care of it. If you never used the boat and kept it out of the sun I doubt you would ever have to replace it. Of course we build these to paddle them. Assuming you store it out of the sun when your not using it, abrasion is typically the main thing that damages a skin. I don't 'baby' my boats, but I don't abuse them either. I skin most in the 8 oz polyester. I paddle on a large lake and river system. I don't worry about hitting a stick of rock when paddling. That doesn't hurt anything. It is rubbing the same spot over and over that will damage it. For example I don't beach the bow of the boat unless it has a rub strip. Constantly beaching would eventually damage it. I have a Curlew that I skinned in 12 oz nylon that I have run over tree limbs, stumps rocks, paddled and pushed through mud and dirt, drug it across the ground.... It is about 3 years old now and it doesn't show any wear at all. It's a little stained and discolored but the skin is in excellent condition. So far I have only had to reskin one because of a damaged skin and that one I just abused. We ran it through very rocky flowing water and I rubbed a lot of tiny holes in the skin along the frame where it kept rubbing in the same spots. I am not sure what was in the water but there it was very sharp and abrasive. It even left some serious marks in the plastic boat that was with me. I ruined that one and it was 7 oz nylon. Bottom line is, if you don't abuse it, it should last many, many years. If you are going to be rubbing the boat against something in the same spot add a rub strip. If you going to be using it it rough conditions where it will see a lot of abuse use the 12 oz nylon. It is a very touch fabric!! I use 8 oz polyester unless I need something really tough then I use the 12 nylon. The 7 oz nylon seems really light but it is good fabric. What I didn't like about it was you needed to sew it on wet and pull it really tight or it would wrinkle up every time it got wet. The 12 oz quits wrinkling after a few months. Polyester never wrinkles because of being wet. It will loosen up a little in the heat but it always looks the same. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 How would spandex work for the skin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Not very well I would imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokeyhydro Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 How would spandex work for the skin? Spandex has a strong inclination to induce "wedgies" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.