I have done the calculations using Lloyd's standards and most sea kayaks (and canoes) get over designed due to stiffness requirements. In other words a boat designed to have only enough strength for slamming loads would not have enough rigidity to maintain its shape. Of course, I assumed a properly constructed boat. Not all builders get the hull/deck joints right etc. so what one boat does should not suggest that all boats will do the same. Like ships, the biggest danger to sea kayaks is impact with something hard. Anecdotal evidence can be found to support the magical qualities of any material but no one can really calculate how strong "strong" should be since no one really knows the magnitude of potential loads. I suspect most reputable builders produce boats suitable for the intended use. If you want more, then I am sure you can find a builder that can supply it. As for dropping boats off the roof, I have done one manufacturer's boats in Royalex, Royalite, Fiberglass, Kevlar, Spectra etc. In every case the boats survived the 20' drop just fine with some scratching. I do not think the results unusual at all but I do think that boats don't often fall off the factory roof in actual use. I once watched Darryl Lideigh of Mohawk canoes pound on one of his chopped fiberglass canoes with a hammer. The boat stood up just fine. Not sure what that proved. Real life proves more. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** 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 Mar 13 1999 - 07:01:46 PST
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