News and Events
Ask The Experts - Aspirations of a Composite Canoe
Nov 17, 2011
An Ode to the Hybrid Composite Canoe
Why should anyone scrimp and save and sacrifice to buy a high end Kevlar/Graphite/foam core hybrid composite canoe when near indestructible alternatives are commonly available for about half the cost or less?
The only immediately apparent advantage is the reduced weight, up to 50% or more less burden to tote down the carry trail. Significant yes, but how often do we find ourselves on a lengthy portage where that extra 40 pounds is really, truly an overwhelming burden? For the most paddlers, we're probably talking about making such trips 2 or 3 times a year and maybe facing such carries two or three times a day while on a particularly ambitious trip in the backwoods.
Spending $4 for $1 to cut weight by 50% might not seem like much of a bargain. There has to be more to it than that. As you might have guessed, there is, there most certainly is.
Staying with weight for the moment, it is true that our opportunities on the portage trail are far rarer than we might “like.” Like might be too strong a word, as every tripping paddler dreads the approach of a lengthy carry and having to switch roles with the canoe and become the beast of burden for a change. But think about it; just where would you rather be? At home? At work? Running weekend errands? Admit it, no matter how long the carry, how rough, how muddy, how buggy, portages eventually become fond memories and tend to get longer, wetter, buggier as time goes on. If asked when standing knee deep in a bog with a cloud of black flies in insistent attendance, you might attest that there's somewhere you'd rather be but 30 days later, back in the home – school – work - home routine, that scene tends to be painted in a bit rosier colors.
And admittedly, that scenario is a lot more palatable with 40 lbs on your shoulders than with 80. Just think how much deeper you'd sink in the mud with that extra 40 lbs on your shoulders!
So weight is a legitimate advantage of a composite canoe, and that advantage is not limited to being out in boonies struggling from lake to lake. Every time you have to lift your canoe, whether it's onto your car, off your car, onto your rack, off your rack, every time, lesser is better. It requires less effort and less initiative to get the canoe moving; there's less likelihood that the prospect of humping 80 lbs+ of canoe will discourage the thought of getting the boat out and paddling; it's far less daunting when you're thinking about moving 40 or 50 lbs. You'll also have less of a challenge in convincing your paddling partners to go; it's easier to entice them to share 50 lbs compared to 85. So, a lighter canoe can have a direct correlation to the amount of time you spend paddling.
It also expands your opportunity to paddle. Heavier boats often require two people to load and unload. That light composite hull can be hoisted and lowered easily by one, so you're not limited by other's schedules. If they're available, great; if not, that's great too; time to go solo, you and your 40 lb'er.
In short, a lighter hull reduces the hesitation and resistance to head out by minimizing the “I don't feel like fighting the canoe onto the car” experience. Additionally, a light weight hull might be the only viable alternative for some paddlers. Perhaps it's a senior couple or mother and child, someone with a disability; for such paddlers, wrestling a heavy hull may simply not be an option. The composite canoe might be the only vessel that allows them to take to the water.
So, there are multiple advantages to a lighter weight composite hull and so far we've only talked about off-water advantages. They don't end there.
On water it's a simple matter of less mass to move. The lighter the canoe the quicker it accelerates, the quicker it responds to maneuvers, the easier it is to maintain your speed, etc. It's actually kind of hard to find a disadvantage except that it can be more susceptible to wind but overall the pros absolutely swamp the cons, especially over the course of a long day. As evening descends, I know what type of boat I'd prefer to be paddling.
The performance advantages extend beyond comparative weight. Composite hulls are the best of all potential materials in terms of faithfully executing the full extent of the subtleties of the designer's art. The material and the laminate process have the ability to exactly duplicate the full extent of the designer's hull lines, transitioning from one hull shape in one section of the canoe to another and back again. Composites can be formed to create a very narrow “hollow” stems to lessen resistance and better able to slice through the water. As the hull moves to the midships section, the composite hull can transition from hollow and narrow to full with flare to enhance the dryness and stability of the boat. Moving further aft, the hull can be shaped to create a smoother exit, reducing turbulence and drag. No other material enjoys the ability to create such efficient and stimulating hulls to paddle.
Canoes that place a priority on efficiency are often asymmetric. For flat water that asymmetry takes what is called a swedeform shape wherein the widest part of the hull is behind center. This results in the front “1/2” of the hull presenting a narrower, longer wedge to the water, allowing it to split the water with less resistance and drag. This translates to a canoe that moves forward more easily and maintains a cruising speed with less effort as well as exhibiting superior glide. Some whitewater canoes favor a “fish-form” hull shape where the widest part of the hull is in front of center. While slower, the added buoyancy up front encourages the canoe rise to the surface as it goes over drops and into holes.
Of all hull materials, composites are best able to form and shape asymmetrical hull shapes. Composites have the ability to make virtually a 90 degree right hand turn in a very, very small radius. Google image search “usca flatwater racing canoes” and you'll get an eyeful of the exotic and sophisticated hull shapes that composites can achieve. These hulls are paddled in head to head races lasting 80 to 100 miles and more. Think its just coincidence that every one of these canoes is produced in composites? Think again.
The layup of a composite canoe can also be designed to provide various degrees of stiffness. For that marathon racer or paddling tri-athlete, an absolutely rigid hull translates into minimal loss of paddling efficiency; every bit of energy applied via the paddling stroke is transmitted through the rigid hull into forward motion. Any kind of flex is to be avoided as it steals momentum. A tripping paddler or someone who uses their boats on rivers would prefer some give to their hulls, some ability to absorb impact, deflect away from it, and regain original shape and form. One nice thing about composites: both can be achieved with precision via the ability to specifically tailor the laminate construction for specific uses and conditions. You can have the same successful hull design successfully modified for ultralight use on mild waters or bolstered up to stand up to remote wilderness rivers, just by “tweaking” the lay-up or laminate.
Nor can other popular materials such as Royalex and Polyethylene mold as true to the designer's inspiration. The materials are limited by their component parts and the basic nature of the material. Polyethylene, for example, abhors a flat surface; it reacts by bowing concave or convex and will hold that preferred shape, vigorously resisting that flat form. You can't get either material to hold a complex combination curve because the material will try to bridge the distance.
Also, you can't create as narrow a stem in either Royalex or Polyethylene material without sacrificing strength. To make Royalex follow that tight radius around the end of a canoe means that the foam core will be thinned out to virtually nonexistence and critical rigidity is lost, right where you often need it the most, at the bow of your canoe where you're most likely to become intimate with river obstacles. A composite stem can be almost knife-like in profile yet quite strong and durable due to interior reinforcements.
OK, it's the combination of minimal weight, maximum stiffness, and the ability to hold true to sophisticated hull shapes that make composites the choice of flat-water canoe marathon racers. Do these advantages translate to benefits for the more casual canoeist? We all know what a bear is inclined to do in the woods, do we not?
Composites make canoes that are more stimulating and rewarding to paddle; that go further and faster with less effort, that are easier to get to and from the water. Those are a lot of desirable attributes to aspire to.
But tell me about composite durability! Aren't composites fragile?
If we're talking about pinball type durability, where the canoe bangs and bumps its' way down the river from obstacle to obstacle, composites are not the material of choice. If you like to push the margins and run rivers when there's really not enough water present to really “float the boat”, composites would, again, not be your wisest choice. And if whitewater and whitewater play is your paddling style of choice, you'll be better served by a hull material other than composites.
But, if your paddling agenda involves a wide range of styles and activities, there's actually a good chance that a quality composite canoe is a viable choice. Note that reference to a “quality” composite canoe, it's important.
Throughout this discussion, the focus has been on the higher-end hybrid composite canoe, the kind with the fancy lay-up which includes such exotics as Kevlar, graphite, foam core, etc. and are priced at the top end of the MSRP spectrum. Don't make the mistake of extending these conclusions to low end composites, they don't apply. Inexpensive composite canoes are often as heavy as their Royalex and polyethylene counterparts and nowhere near as durable as their more sophisticated brethren. To enjoy the best benefits a composite canoe can provide, one has to be prepared to up the ante.
Probably the best short answer to the question of composite durability of quality composites is to point out that composites are often the materials of choice for extreme applications from Kevlar body and vehicle armor to graphite as a major structural component explosive-resistant military vehicles as well as high speed, high stress civilian (check out the just released Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for example). That's awfully telling and powerful testimony about how tough composite materials can be.
Retailers are often asked if this or that canoe is tough enough to be paddled in whitewater. Honestly, the answer lies more in the paddler than the hull material. The question should be, “are you, the paddlers, skilled and experienced enough to paddle this canoe in whitewater?” If the paddler(s) have the skills and the judgment, they can bring the most fragile of canoes through some pretty intimidating waters. I can remember being at the 1989 World Championships on the Savage River in Maryland and watching the late Frankie Hubbard run a Kevlar Malecite down the kayak slalom course without problems and seemingly, little effort. Point is, the limits of your hull are more closely tied to your abilities as a paddler than they are to the material of which they are constructed.
There is some virtue in opting for a Royalex or poly hull if you're new to the game and need something that is tolerant of a learning curve. But once your skills have developed and your preferred paddling “profile” (i.e., where you go, what kind of waters your prefer) have solidified, that can be the time to look hard at a quality composite canoe. If you can make the run clean, your canoe hull will definitely be up to the task. If you can't, then the hull has to be able to compensate with enhanced ability to absorb impacts and mistakes until your skills have progressed.
When your paddling finds you on bony (thin, shallow) waters with gravel bottoms, you'll actually find that a composite canoe is more durable than Royalex or polyethylene. The outer surface of a composite canoe, be it gel coat, resin, skin coat, etc., is considerably harder than the outer “skins“ of Royalex or polyethylene and more impervious to abrasion.
The vinyl outer skin of Royalex and the outer layer of poly are both soft materials and always come in second best in conflicts with riverbed gravel and sand. They're pretty easily gouged and cut and worn away. Comparatively, the outer skin on a composite is much harder and able to shrug off considerably more abrasion.
The key concern when dealing with abrasion is when does the damage transition from cosmetic to structural - from looking bad to being bad? Shallow surface scratches, which are typical of composites when abraded, are cosmetic. If the hull is gouged or cut to the point where the outer surface is worn down or removed, one moves more into a structural area of concern. You can live with cosmetic damage; the clock's ticking if you cross over to structural issues.
One last point regarding the worthiness of quality composite hulls is the simple fact that they are the easiest of all hulls to repair should the unforeseen occur and you and your canoe are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better yet, you can easily repair the damage to the point where the repair is stronger than new (might be a little heavier too, but if you find yourself with same area of canoe getting exposed to damage frequently, it might just behoove you to reinforce that area). Raw materials, instructions, advice, for composite repair are readily available and the technique and process do not approach rocket-science complexity.
It's quite apparent that there's a place for high end, sophisticated, quality composite canoes and that they bring things to the table that other materials do not. Composites make things possible that are not otherwise able to be achieved. That in itself makes them a worthy consideration and when you start to add up all the attributes of each material, both positive and negative, you'll probably find that quality composite canoes end up fairing quite well compared to other hull materials. The combination of light weight, efficiency, relative durability, and ease of repair make a potent case for paddlers who value their time on the water and want to maximize the quality of their experience.
Give one of these boats a try; borrow, rent or check to see if your local dealer has a demo you can try out. Be forewarned though they can be addictive and you may never be able to go back to your own boat with a clean conscience, harboring a long abiding lust for that seductive composite canoe.
If you find yourself succumbing to that siren's song, don't think of your “old” boat as the end of a relationship. Keep that “rubber” canoe for the times when pin-ball paddling might just be the order of the day or you're introducing new paddlers to the water or the kids need a knock-around boat. You're not likely to take a 2 door sports car to the lumberyard to pick up wood for the new deck, that's where the pick up comes in, same goes for a high end composite canoe. We've all read where “garage-kept” is a selling point for classic cars; think of your canoes the same way. You've got the everyday commuter which is loyal, undemanding, and does the job without complaint through all types of conditions, but maybe comes up just a bit short in the inspirational department. Then you've got the weekend sportster; made for those errand-free days in the sun and the opportunity to get out, indulge, enjoy, and express yourself.
You are, after all, the one who gets to choose your keys for the day. It's awful nice to have a choice – which ride will take?