Alternative skins

[chris pearson]

Hi dudes,
Any thoughts on lighter alternatives to canvas and traditional filler? Jack McGreivey used a Dacron material filled with Nitrate and Buterate dope on my Racine, but doesnt remember what exactly the material was. Anyone experiment and have success here? My Jack made Racine is really tough!!! Ive had it over beaver dams, etc. and it still holds strong. It's 17 feet long and weighs 57 lbs! I'm building a canoe from scratch and need to go light again, my back isnt getting any better, ya know!:eek:

[MikeCav]

Tom McKenzie and others have used a synthetic cloth (Dacron) and Cecofil. I used Cecofil on a traditional canvas - it is certainly lighter than the silica filler. Would be even lighter with lighter cloth.

See http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=1701&highlight=cecofil

[peter osberg]

I have used aircraft dacron with multiple layers to get a tougher, lighter fabric covering with epoxy as the filler. It is an easier and better route in my view, having done both canvas and dacron. I have posted the routine previously on this forum. I am sure you could find it easily, as well as comments of the nay-saying canvassers.
peter

[Dan Miller]

Hi Chris,

Talk to Tom MacKenzie about using dacron (Ceconite) and Cecofill. I talked with Dan Sutherland a while back about using those nitrate and butyrate dopes on fabric (what Penn Yan used to do). It's nasty stuff!

Check with Gil Cramer too, at one point he had a heavy weight dacron.

Cheers,
Dan