A scanned copy of the book is available on Archive.org. Search “skin-on-frame boats”. You will need a free account to be able to read it online. Unfortunately you can’t download it, but it is a good, free alternative.

I went with the nylon from Spirit Line because I could pick it up within an hour of home and also because it was going to see a lot of barnacle-encrusted cobble beaches and I wanted the best abrasion resistance I could get. So far the ribs are well clear of the skin even with four adults aboard, so it did get tight enough for our needs. Thankfully, it’s a workboat at heart so having a few wrinkles in the skin after a night’s dew isn’t a deal breaker. I’ll definitely look into polyester more when it’s time to reskin, perhaps I’ll find my concerns about abrasion were overblown after years of using the hull.

I used a two part catalytic urethane from Spirit Line, but that’s far from the only option.

And there’s an alternative, available at a much lower price, in Building the Greenland Kayak by our editor here at Small Boats, Christopher Cunningham!

I know that borrowing is not as satisfying as owning a copy, but your local public library would be happy to find it for you via Inter-Library-Loan!

May I ask an obvious question? On the canoe you covered, did you paint or epoxy the skin for waterproofing?

Kenneth is totally correct about polyester. Readily available in different weights; for MUSE you’d want to go with a heavier (10-oz) fabric weight. You can heat-shrink it to tighten beyond what you can pull, but practice first with some fabric stretched over a frame. Polyester has good abrasion resistance. I recovered a wood/canvas canoe with light polyester, and paddled it for years with little concern about sliding over gravel, etc. and it only picked up a few scuff marks.