Distribution of rocker.

[ancient kayaker]

Aw, kumon Messabout, aren't you going to share your own time with us?

[messabout]

I didn't say I paddled fast, all I did was watch the fast people, including some females, leave me in their wake. My times were on the order of 12 minutes per mile and that was at all out effort for this old body. I am so much older than Terry that he'd have to address me as Prehistoric Kayaker.

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by messabout

. . . I am so much older than Terry that he'd have to address me as Prehistoric Kayaker.

- I doubt that, I knew a lot of prehistoric people. I'm 72 by the way . . .

[messabout]

Terry: you're a mere young whippersnapper. I was in the 9th grade when you started first grade, I still paddle, sail, drink, smoke and swear. Alas, I dont carouse with loose women much anymore.

[viking north]

Keep posting boys at 67 i'm beginning to feel younger and I do carouse with loose women but don't smoke, then again maybe i do, I've never looked

[Collin]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

I was just rereading the thread and your post reminded me that one can buy clear film intended for applying to windows. I comes with a double-sided adhesive tape and can be heat-shrunk with a hair-drier so the wrinkles can be removed. I don’t know what gauge it is, but it is quite tough. I recall using it many years ago over a leaky patio door before we had a new one installed, and on windy days it would stop the drafts from a nor-wester, which would push hard on it but couldn’t break it. It was holding back a lot of pressure, so I imagine it would hold up a kayak.

I still have a roll of it someplace I think; if I ever do a skin-on-frame boat I may try it out . . .

How expensive was it? When you shrank it, did the wind pressure stretch it out?

I forgot to add that to put on the vinyl you have to stretch it of course and heavy gauge vinyl takes a LOT of force to put good tension in it. You have to pull tight as you can with one hand and staple with the other....very awkward and not fun. It also stretches under use more than a heat shrunk fabric.

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by Collin

How expensive was it? When you shrank it, did the wind pressure stretch it out?

I forgot to add that to put on the vinyl you have to stretch it of course and heavy gauge vinyl takes a LOT of force to put good tension in it. You have to pull tight as you can with one hand and staple with the other....very awkward and not fun. It also stretches under use more than a heat shrunk fabric.

I don't recall the price - long time ago. I got most of the wrinkles out by stretching and used a hair drier to get the last few wrinkles out. It wasn't particularly heavy gauge. It was on the prevailing wind side of the house and the wind pressure would sometimes balloon it maybe half a foot but it recovered, so it was fairly tough.

If I can find the left-over roll and there is enough I would like to give it a try, as a SOF is something I want to do. Beaufort 5 is reached frequently enough which would create about 2 psi wind pressure; that is equivalent to the water pressure at a depth of several feet - far more than the few inches draft of a typical kayak or canoe, so it should be more than adequate.

[tspeer]

The film used on the AC45 wings is from Clysar. These were originally intended for shrink-wrap packaging. They have different films with widely varying properties. Their EZG film has the highest stiffness and low shrink force (shrink force can drive the structural strength), but it also has the highest temperature required to shrink it.