BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - lightweight, abrasion-resistant canoe?

Bill Tuthill

wrote:
Is it possible to find a lightweight tandem canoe (~50 lbs) that is
also reasonably abrasion-resistant? We paddle in fla****er conditions,
but we scratch rocks with the bottom a lot - e.g. paddling in High
Sierra lakes. They say Kevlar is abrasion-sensitive, but exactly how
sensitive is not clear. The canoe we've been using - Royalex Wenonah
Spirit II - is 68 lbs and too heavy for me and my wife to portage.
Also, it does not cut through water well. Kevlar and Royalex are the
only materials I've heard of. I've paddled a Kevlar canoe in the
Tupper lake region in ADK and loved it, but the Sierras are much more
rockier, so, I am afraid to ruin an expensive boat if I get a Kevlar
one. I am not a very diligent paddler either.

The AIRE Superlynx (self-bailing inflatable kayak) weighs 46 pounds
and has carrying capacity of 600 pounds. It is relatively fast,
perhaps the fastest inflatable on the market. One advantage is that
it rolls up and fits in your trunk, thus enhancing fuel economy.

Mad River Explorer is a kevlar canoe that weighs 54 pounds with capacity
of 1100 pounds. It costs more than twice as much as the SuperLynx.
You can redo the gel-coat when it gets damaged, as it certainly will.
On the plus side, the Mad River Explorer would likely beat the Superlynx
in a race. Then again, most High Sierra lakes are small.