"mraycraft" wrote in message
m...
Fellow paddlers;
I have the opportunity to acquire a 10-year old Swift canoe made of
Royalite. Apparently, it has been kept in a Canadian garage when not
in use.
Assuming that the boat is otherwise structurally sound, I am not sure
what to expect in terms of durability of the material it is built
with. Does Royalex/Royalite deteriorate noticeably over time? Put
another way, would a 10-year old boat have lost anything solely due to
age?

Short answer: no.

Longer answer:

1. Check alignment - visual is ok for this, I think. Mostly, I'd be worried
about twist from improper support during long term storage. If it's on
sawhorses or a decent looking rack, I'd tend not to worry too much about it.
If it's leaning up against the wall on a gunnel, I would.

2. The vinyl skin on the outside of an ABS boat will deteriorate under UV.
If the boat was stored in the sun for ten years without 303, it should look
like crap. This isn't fatal if the price is low enough.

3. Check wood gunnels for dryness or rot. Even if the boat was stored under
cover, ash parts might be subject to fungal attack if they haven't been
maintained. Check with Swiss Army knife when owner isn't looking.

hth,
Fred Klingener