As for the differences between laminated and poly boats, poly boats generally weigh more than equivalent laminated boats although some builders build rather heavy glass boats. The weight does make a difference mostly because the ends have high concentrations of material that increase the moment of inertia. Poly does distort over time (and with heat) more than laminated boats. Poly does scratch differently from laminated boats by having raised hairs of material that increase resistance over time more than similar scratches on laminated boats that do not protrude from the surface. The aesthetics of poly take a bit of getting used to (at least for me). Some people object to the "waxy" look, lack of gloss, and lack of color depth. In a general sense Poly will take a lot more hard knocks so if you plan to abuse your boat then that may make your decision for you. Poly, whether used or new, generally costs less. While I and others place great importance on performance the differences between similar designs won't shake the earth. If performance has a low priority for you why should you care what the self-styled purists think? Re-sale value depends so much upon condition that you may do just as well with a poly boat as a laminated boat. I have no good feel for this. Boat prices seem to vary according to the phases of the moon or something. Repair of broken poly boats (it does happen) can pose problems. I have heard no long term durability reports on repairs. perhaps someone who has had a poly boat fixed will know. Even badly damaged laminated boats can be fixed by the owner. ETC, 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.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jun 22 1999 - 04:32:50 PDT
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