Steve said (with snips): >>Composite and plastic both have their merits. I have some of each in my<< The newer plastic sea kayaks are a vast improvement over the older ones. A buddy brought home a hatch cut-out "Frisbee" from Current Designs the other day. This thing is strong and stiff - and that's only from the deck. Another buddy who runs a kayak rental business in Port Hardy has had awesome success with the latest generation of plastic touring kayaks. Mind you, he takes good care of them. Nothing else to do on the North Island in the winter season (unless you like hurricane paddling and HD surfing). He has also had some major damage repaired remarkably well. I couldn't tell where the large repair patch was on one of the repair jobs I viewed (the factory can "weld" in repairs). I still like my heavy SUV Nordkapp. No plastic galling -- just sand, fill, and repaint every few years, good as new. But please don't use old plastic kayaks for planters, as they can and should be recycled. >>What I have often wondered is why I have never seen an aluminium sea kayak?<< There was a home made one featured as a picture, with short bio, in Sea Kayaker once -- I think. I always hated aluminium canoes though, so I imagine kayaks might me similarly cold, and unappealing visually. Wave Length recently announced in an article some new fiberglassing methodology. Sounds like new technologies are always getting applied to kayaks every now and again. I still like hand-laid kayaks, as they tend to be fairly stiff, if a bit heavier than bagged boats. And as far as galling of plastic kayak hulls, aluminium galls badly too. Doug Lloyd Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Feb 28 2003 - 03:37:55 PST
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