[Paddlewise] Durability Testing (Seakayaker Mag are you listening?)

    Is it possible that we have the whole British boat strength versus weight 
conundrum wrong?  Certainly the British boats are laid-up by hand and not 
vacuum bagged.  Certainly vacuum bagging results in the higher strength to 
weight ratio.  But how is this strength defined?  Tensile only, if my 
not-in-the-business mind is not mistaken.  The glass fibers in Fiberglas are 
strong, very strong but in tension only.  What provides the other components 
of this thing we call strength? The compression resistance, deflection 
resistance, torsional strength, abrasion resistance, shear strength, to what 
degree are these other properties required and in what parts of the boat?  

    The durability issue is so much more than strength versus weight.  I have 
owned more than a few North American built boats that were beautiful, very 
light, very capable of handling heavy water but were built as if they'd never 
see action beyond flat water, sandy beaches and protected launches/landings.  
All of my experience now leads me to the British boats.  They are not, to my 
eye, the most appealing. Nor are they, to anyone's arms, the lightest.  They 
seem to be, to many of the most experienced of us, the most durable and 
tolerant of rough handling, the proverbial "battleship".

    It seems to me that a Seakayaker magazine review has more than enough 
marketing clout to warrant a boat at no cost for long term testing followed 
by (possibly destructive) strength tests.  Such a boat should be plucked from 
a distributors stock rather than be picked by the manufacturer or worse yet 
built specifically for the test. Full boats would be required, not panels, 
much of a designs strength is in the form/material combination. Certainly the 
experts at Paddlewise could design a worthwhile and comprehensive series of 
tests.  If Seakayaker is too busy to do the testing then It would be easy 
enough to set up a test facility in New England and send the results to them 
for publishing. 
    Ultimately the buying public will purchase boats for a variety of 
reasons, rather than solely the outcome of these tests and reviews.  Who 
among us hasn't bought a boat just because it was beautiful or paddled like a 
dream in some narrow application or had some design feature that we just 
couldn't live without?
    I agree the a significant effort would be required to develop the testing 
procedures.  Even then many will clamor that the test, are either unfair or 
arbitrary or unrealistic or biased.  So we must include all of the 
manufacturers in the test design process.  But this should be a "Consumers 
Guide" kind of test regime.  Some tests would require the boat to be in the 
water other should be done on dry land.  They all should be real life 
scenarios or laboratory approximations of same. We paddlers would carry the 
ultimate power over which tests we value.

The Tests (a work in progress) -- primarily fiberglass for now but tests for 
plastic boats would also be required.

    Resistance to "Oil Canning" is mainly a design issue more that a pure 
strength issue.  If a section of the boat can flex to absorb a force without 
cracking or weakening then that would be great, but most times the flexing 
leads to stress or compression cracks. So we should test for not only "Oil 
canning" but also material fatigue from repetitive "Oil Canning" at various 
temperatures.

    Resistance to cracking of the hull and deck in areas likely to see 
compressive forces.  Situations like paddle float reentry's, X rescues, 
sitting on the deck or sitting on the hull with the boat upside down.

Impact Resistance
    Dropping the boat as if it fell off the rack.  Drop various paddling 
related objects onto the deck.  Hitting submerged rocks.  Whack the boat into 
something while being carried.

Abrasion resistance
    Run the boats up onto and /or drag them over rocky shores

Penetration Resistance, Shear Strength
    I'm not sure how to define these or how valuable they might be.

Other test that might benefit from more scientific testing
Weathercocking, tracking, maneuverability (even keel and tilted)
    Certainly not strength related but may use much of the same equipment as 
other "strength related" test.

    Certainly the list could go on and on.  Please add as you see fit.  I'm 
willing, at the mere hint of interest by someone like Seakayaker Mag to 
compile your responses, poll the manufacturers and get this thing rolling.

Paddle On Garth
Jed






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