Vinyl supplies in Melbourne for SOF kayak?

[TK1]

Hi,

I am about to start building a Skin On Frame (SOF) kayak based on one of Tom Yost's wood-frame designs (http://yostwerks.com) and need to purchase the vinyl skin.

He describes it as '18 oz "Coverlight" PVC' and seems to be just 'normal' PVC, nothing special, just waterproof and fairly tough. He also recommends gluing with "HH-66 vinyl cement" which I assume is just a brand of PCV contact cement.

Does anyone know where in Melbourne (or, if not, then mail-order in Australia) I can get this? Or what to ask for if I go to Clark Rubber or another supplier?

Sorry, I don't have any idea about this sort of thing and know it's not technically a wooden boat question (although the frame will be wood!), I'd appreciate any help.

Thanks,
Darren

[Darce]

http://www.plastyne.com.au/

[shirsam]

I'm another seeker of HH-66 glue. Started using Pool Repair Cement but at $10 for 55ml and 34 feet of gunnel to glue it is too expensive. I found the same components in the "Blue" PVC pipe cement It works perfectly and at$10 for 300ml is affordable. I'm using Blue PVC on our PBK18 so the glue doesn't show.

[TK1]

Hi Shirsam,

I sorted out the glue problem :)

For glue, contact Bostik and ask them for your local distributor of Bostik 1669 Heat-Activated Contact Adhesive. This is used primarily for glueing the soles on shoes, but is very similar to the HH-66 that the US SOF builders use.

It was recommended to me by a company that makes and repairs RIB Zodiac-type PVC boats and they use these out in the ocean and swear by it.

The advantage is you brush on a couple of layers and it dires, then you add the piece you're attaching and hit it with a heat gun. This gives you time to position it correctly.

Works fantastically, and I got a 4ltr tin of it about 12 months ago for around $25.00 and still have about 3ltrs left after finishing the kayak.

Regards,
Darren

[andrew allan]

There was a recent post on this forum about all this, so it might be worth contacting the guy who initiated this, and who had built an amazingly light kayak using this construction.

As to fabrics, I don't think you'll find anything" good" in Melbourne, at a reasonable price. I make a lot of outdoor gear, and have found that fabric sourced overseas is miles better, and a lot cheaper.

For outdoor fabrics, I've used a company called Owfinc in the US in the past, and they sell a wide variety of fabrics - have a look at their site. Dimension Polyant in ?Germany sell some amazing polyethylene coated nylons, which are quite cheap, particularly if you buy their "Seconds" materials. It's highly waterproof, and light, although has an "X" type ripstop appearance. Kathmandu uses a lot of their fabrics, I think.

Possibly the lightest, and most abrasion resistant fabric I have ever come across is that which is used on my Alpacka Raft, which has a urethane based coating, and is absolutely bomb-proof. Check out www.alpackaraft.com (http://www.alpackaraft.com) site (the company is owned by a woman called Sheri, and she is extraordinarily helpful to people with weird questions). Also, Feathercraft in the US make folding sea kayaks, and I think they use similar materials, as they used to make the rafts for Sheri. Urethane glues are available in Oz.

If you need any more input, my email is [email protected].

Have fun - in Oz, finding the materials is probably harder than making the item!

Andrew Allan

[shirsam]

We've just completed building a PBK18 on the wharf alongside our floating home. All materials were sourced localy Meranti timber in 6 metre lengths, PVC fabric, Stainless fasteningsand the excellent PVC cement (Blue PVC Pipe Cement). All in our small country town (Bundaberg). Perhaps having small country owner operated suppliers was a bonus. They go the extra yard, but I'm sure you can obtain everything you need at top quality here in OZ.