"TallGuyCA" wrote:

Paul,

Just came back from the paddle fest, S.F. and you are right the
Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5 is roomy and is another boat that I can fit
into but what can you say about the material that they use. Is it sea
worthy? If it is why do they make an extreme version, special order
only? I just sat in it today. I'll have my local shop get me one to
try.


Personally, I like the Carbonlite material. There have been some quality
problems. I have a friend who bought one the first year it came out, and
had the combing (not sure if I'm using the right terminology) around the
cockpit opening separate, or something like that. That was a known
problem early on, that has been solved. I also talked to a guy at the
WCSKS who said he had a seam separate.

The Carbonlite should be great for dragging over rocks. Pretty hard
stuff. More so than linear polyethylene, and certainly more so than gel
coat.

Their modulus material is fiberglass with Carbonlite over it, in place of
the gel coat. I haven’t hear of any problems with that. That’s not
special order. The fiberglass would give you more rigidity and the
Carbonlite, if it’s thick enough, would still give you good scratch
proofing.

Their modulus extreme is special order. I’m not sure, but that might be
fiberglass/Kevlar with Carbonlite over it.

I’d focus on fit and performance for your needs. If you end up liking
the Eddyline the best, then decide whether you want to save $500 and try
Carbonlite, or whether you want the fiberglass. To be safe you could go
with the glass and it wouldn’t cost any more than any other glass boat,
plus you’d get the Carbonlite in place of the gel coat which I think is
only a plus.

I’m guessing that Eddyline has a patent on the Carbonlite, and when it
runs out we’ll see more manufacturers using it.

My main concern with the Nighthawk 17.5 would be if you want to learn
some of the performance stuff like rolling and sculling, it would help to
have a snugger fit in the cockpit. The boat might also feel a little
slow. But if you want extra primary stability and room, and still have a
very seaworthy design, I think it’s a great boat.

How did you like the Solstice and Capella?

--
Paul S.