LOL
been there done that.Its embarrassing to have to take a bootie off!
And the tide was coming in… this was at West Quoddy in Passamaquoddy Bay… where the tide comes in fast and there are cliffs and it comes in high. Panic didnt help at all.
$.02
I really like the layups on Neckys boats made in Thailand. I’m kind of discouraged seeing some of other manufacturers boats damaged from a person sitting on a carpeted floor and discovering their core constructions simply don’t have enough glass on the exterior(or interior).
It’s a tool, not a work of art
Just back from a week around the northern tip of Cape Breton. My carbon kevlar Impex and 8 plastic tubs. Pretty rough landings the first 3 days and no one was going to carry my boat over the rocks. It did just fine. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be nice to it, just that fiberglass is pretty tough. And some payback: when I traded in my last boat, the sales people were pretty impressed by the adventures they could read on the surfaces of the Assateague.
Jordan
It’s not a problem
Don’t worry about. Your boat will get scratched. On solo trips when tired, I’ll drag the kayak up as far as I can until the noise gets to the point where I can’t stand it, then grab the cockpit and move it up further. No big deal.
Necky
I have a made in Thailand Necky in the carbon layup. I haven’t sat in any other composite kayaks but that is incredible that some would crack when just sitting in them on carpet. After reading this thread I feel I can worry a bit less about banging my kayak around. Scratching a black kayak still sucks though.
Rocks
Pulling the boat up rocks sounds bad, but you actually hurt the boat more pulling it up sand.
Little scratches in the gel coat mean nothing, they just show you use the boat. They have no structural effect on the boat at all. My oldest boat had areas where the gel coat was gone, you could see right through the hull. I showed it to a kayak manufacturer, and he said that was no big deal, the boat had lost no strength at all.
If you pack lighter, these landings and unloadings will be easier. Less gear = more fun.
Rocks = ball-bearings; Sand = glue
It seems that many kayakers seek out sand beaches for landing.
If I’m on a solo expedition I prefer a beach with rounded rocks if available. Rocks will scratch but it’s much easier to slide a loaded kayak on rocks than sand. You’re liable to rupture yourself trying to pull a loaded kayak through sand to get clear of the shorebreak. Wet sand grabs like glue.
Smooth rock is also convenient and clean to camp on. Sand can easily get everywhere if you are not careful (and sometimes even if you are).
Probably the most difficult challenge of a solo expedition is dealing with a loaded kayak for launching and landing with no one to assist.
Regarding landing pads, noodles, and such, when my kayak is fully loaded to the gills I’m not about to make room for such items. If the surf is up I can’t see how they would help anyway. While I wouldn’t run my Epic 18X up on rocks fully loaded (very light layup), I have landed my VCP and NDK kayaks on rocks in surf, with only the expected minor gel-coat scratches and chips. They are made for it.
Greg Stamer
it was a WS composite Zephyr
right on the soft chine near the hips. It was obvious how it happened, the glass just isn’t thick enough. 2"x3" cracks radiating on the outside with whitened fracture on the inside.
My fix was to take the seat out, lay two 4oz strips 2’x4" along the inside of the soft chines from the back bulkhead forward then big layer of 4oz over the bottom from side to side covering the strips.
I’m guessing for weight savings they’re simply using too light of cloth or aren’t reinforcing it where it needs it.
Your boat is TOUGH
Actually the glass version is probably even tougher, but it’s a mute point. Both are superbly built, post cured epoxy laminates that can take severe blows. Carbon only saves a tiny amount of weight and looks cool.