Think Surfski

Can you tell if a Think Legend is kevlar or fiberglass by the color scheme, i.e orange or yellow stripe? Also, is there a manufacturer info plate somewhere on the ski that mentions the year it’s made?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Rich

Ski info
I don’t know but you will for sure get your answer here:



http://www.surfski.info/

Think Colors
As far as the older boats went (Not sure about the newer color schemes…), orange denoted the fg construction, while the yellow was the Kevlar; yellow/black was the carbon/Kevlar layup. I had a Legend for a short while; can’t recall if the boat had a build plate beyond the usual ID number.

Don’t Know
Unless it is damaged and I got to repair it. Repairing fiberglass is simple, but repairing Kevlar is for the pits. Kevlar belongs only on bullet proof vests and not on my surfskis.

Serial #/Year
All kayaks and I assume surfskis should have a serial # somewhere. The last 2 digits are the year it was made.

I don’t know why people say that about K
Working with Kevlar, so far, from the limited work I’ve done on paddle repair/build and some hull patches, has not been that much different than working with fiberglass.



The only critical difference for me was that sanding Kevlar is tricky and you want to avoid that if possible as it takes a lot of care, good sand paper, and a few extra coats of epoxy to get rid of fuzziness (where with fiberglass or carbon you just sand right through it for a good shine, no additional coats needed to clear any fuzz).



Of course, Kevlar is a bit harder to discern if it is well wetted with epoxy as it does not become clear and disappear like fibervlass does. But that is a secondary consideration to me…



Neither is it any more difficult to cut or shape than fiberglass…


Me Too Until
I just had to repair the kid’s surfski, which got smashed in the surfzone. Of course the Kevlar didn’t crack or tear, but the resins all crumbled off and took in water. It was a hell of a big job to do and took a lot longer and a lot of frustrating patience to repair. From now on, I’ll take your standard common variety layups, for they are quicker and simpler to repair, with no bonding worries too. Less downtime too.

ps: In between repairs, had to buy another surfski, so the kid could practice. Unfortunately, it also is Kevlar layup. Can’t help it, for that’s how most of them are built now a days. I guess the material is cheap and people are familiar with bullet proof vests, so it’s popular?