Early the next morning, Lin Yu'an unfolded the piece of army-green waterproof tarp onto the smooth grass.
He carefully placed the completed canoe frame face down in the center of the tarp.
He began to lift the edges of the tarp upward, tightly wrapping it around the entire skeleton of the boat.
While stretching, he carefully adjusted the position and tension of the tarp, ensuring it fits as closely as possible to the curves of the skeleton.
As he worked, Lin Yu'an explained, "The key to skin coverage is in the tightness and smoothness; the tighter the tarp, the better the boat's shape in the water, which can minimize water resistance and improve navigation efficiency."
After initially stretching and positioning the tarp, he picked a few slender spruce branches and shaved one side slightly flat.
This allowed the flattened strips to better fit the curvature of the gunwale, maximizing the role as a press strip.
