Why no Polyethylene/Plastic watercraft?

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
At a certain point in time, technique alone doesn't cut it, and strength also matters. My canoe is about 75 pounds and feels significantly heavier than it used to.
At 60 I'm at that point. My 16' Mohawk canoe is 65#. I only used it when someone came with me last year.
 

SurfnFish

Legend
Forum Supporter
Inherent problem with poly boats is they have to be built to avoid 'tin canning', which adds mass and weight. Conversely, coupla guys who swing for Kings on the OR coast do so from 7.5' Kevlar prams that weigh 30#, and after a coupla decades of use remain in great condition. The builder went out of business as the market for such craft is so limited.
This summer saw an older guy in a van back up to the waters edge at the Quinn River ramp, extend ramps from the back and slide a varnished wood pram out of the van and into the water.
Lifting anything overhead is not only a chore for elders, it can be the last straw for those worn out rotator cuffs holding on by a few threads...
 
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krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
Nowadays the only time the canoe is used is when my grownup son and I are lake fishing....it's easy getting it on and off the truck canopy rooftop rack with two people (when he was little I was able to handle it myself, including carrying it on my shoulders a quarter mile or more....he'd generally nap on the bottom of the canoe with his security blanket and our German shepherd).

These days I just slide one or two SOT kayaks into the truckbed with the tailgate down. Rolling a kayak to the water with a wheeled cart is a breeze. Minimal lifting (especially easy with a good scupper cart like the Sea to Summit model with heavily padded scupper rods).
 
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