rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > [snip] > I wonder if some other factors should be added. > > Thickness of the material. The walls of a polyethylene boat are of x > thickness. That would likely mean that they would age a lot faster than > say the half inch thick high density polyethylene cross ribs used in > Feathecrafts. Yup. And, sea kayak hulls are normally thicker than the usual PE bottle's walls. > Length of the material in conjunction with how much it is subjected to > flex. I sense that polyethylene white water boats (except for the hard > knocks they get against rocks etc.) tend to last a bit longer than their > sea kayak counterparts because of the differences in length and amount > of flex. Both valid points, Ralph. I suspect thicker materials such as the Fcraft ribs will outlast you or me! (Are they polyethylene? I believe Folbot frames are a filled polycarbonate -- much more long-lasting than PE.) The plastic equivalent of "work hardening" in metals probably makes our longer craft have shorter lifetimes than the WW boats. I agree. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Dec 05 1998 - 15:52:00 PST
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