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Selecting the best material for "your kayak" is a function of three basic elements, weight, strength, and cost! Once you make an honest evaluation of your intended needs and uses it's easy. FRontenac Outfitters invites you to visit our Wilderness Paddlesports Centre to enjoy paddling a number of kayaks on our pristine lake, any time, any day in season! Polyethylene: (All Polyethylene Kayaks)
"Plastic, Tupperware and Poly" are all terms commonly used to describe Polyethylene kayaks. Polyethylene is the least expensive material used to build kayaks today. There are 2 -types of polyethylene: -Linear Kayaks: (least expensive)
are made using a process called roto-molding. Plastic pellets are added to a two piece mold, the mold is sealed, heated and to melt the pellets to liquid, then rotated rapidly. When complete the mold is cracked to remove the kayak. Although a slight seam will appear on the outside of the kayak, the interior seam or stress point is all but eliminated. -Cross-linked Kayaks: (slightly more expensive)
are made from a patented "sandwich approach". A thick foam core is sandwiched between an outer and inner layer of polyethylene to provide additional stiffness. Cross-link kayaks are stronger and stiffer than roto-molded kayaks but they are also much heavier and moderately more costly. Thermoformed Kayaks: (All Thermoformed Kayaks)
A relatively new process, which uses plastic sheets of compatible hybrid plastic materials to form a kayak over a mold like a blanket, rather than inside one like fibreglass or roto-molded kayaks. Most of us have seen the Saturn Cars (TM) commerical where the shopping cart bounces off the car with no damage done... that's thermoform! Most modern automobile bumpers are also made with thermoform. The Outer surface is harder than other plastics and provides better abrasion resistance... which means they don't gouge like softer polyethylene kayaks. Thermoforming produces a product similar to fibreglass in appearance and performance. Thermoformed kayaks may be slightly heavier than composite kayaks but normally cost about $500 to $1000 less. While fibreglass & Kevlar kayaks remain the Holy Grail, thermoform kayaks offer a new alternative to the much heavier, less attractive roto-molded & cross linked plastic kayaks! Note: Thermoform comes in vastly different grades. Pelican & BIC Sport Kayaks use lower grades of thermoform, while Delta Kayaks, Perception Kayaks Essence Series & Seaward Kayaks Infiniti Series are examples of high-end thermoing technology. Composite Kayaks: (All Composite Kayaks)
Composite is a confusing all inclusive term used to describe kayaks made of fibreglass, Kevlar or carbon... or any combination of the above materials. Composite kayaks are made by hand fitting layers of cloth into a gel-coated mold and then adding resin to create a stiff, tough shell using a number of processes from hand lay-ups, to high tech vaccum bagging & infusion lay-ups. The outside gel-coat adds additional protection, produces an attractive, shiny finish but most importantly enables the kayak to be relived from the mold. Contrary to common belief fibreglass kayaks are tough and average 20% lighter than similar Polyethylene kayaks. Kevlar kayaks weigh 10% less again. Kevlar offer's additional impact resistance while sacrificing some of the abrasion resistance of fibreglass. Carbon kayaks offer a slightly lighter weights (3%-5%) again... BUT buyer beware as although carbon is very light it shatters easily. However, with new times comes new technologies, Manufactures are learning how to work with Carbon to increase Durability. Always Ask and Educate yourself before you buy. Composite materials like fibreglass, Kevlar and carbon are used to produce the most rigid, efficient, lightweight and visually appealing kayaks. Other Materials: (All Foldable & Inflatable Kayaks)
-Wooden Kayaks made from "Do-it-Yourself kits" are becoming increasingly available. Although wood kayaks paddle well and are attractive, they tend to offer designs which are less advanced than kayaks offered in composite, thermoform or even polyethylene materials. -Inflatable Kayaks the big advantage of inflatables is their compactness and portability. Due to their soft nature these boats will always be more sluggish to paddle than other material choices. -Folding Kayaks use a nylon or canvas stretched over a lightweight aluminum frame. Disassembled, folding kayaks fit into two or three bags for easy transportation. Folding kayaks are less responsive than hard shell kayaks, can be time consuming to set up, and are expensive. The best material for you will be a compromise of strength, weight and cost to suit your individual paddling needs! Frontenac Outfitters On-Water Canoe & Kayak Centre simply makes the process fun & educational. We've been introducing people to kayaking the right way... on-the-water, since 1984!
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