Thoughts/opinions regarding Bell’s new LT laminate?
Thanks!
it is lighter
in weight,seems to be just as durable, but is nothing great to look at. I would think that there could be a very slight decrease in paddling speed due to the increased friction of the cloth texture of the hull lay-up.
texture vs speed
Yeabbut the dimples on a golf ball help reduce resistance.
Maybe the texture of the kevlar fabric would have a similar effect…creating smaller eddies around the boat that have less cumulative drag than the larger eddies created by a smoother boat?
Yo may bo on to something!
John winters advises you not to wax your kayak for some reason, like the small irregularities holding a cushion of water thus increasing laminar flow.
I loved the old qcc web site. I do not konw if it is on the new one.
Hmmmm
I don’t think it’s worth the money!! I paddled an early Wildfire… There were problems with the cloth being resin starved and the boat being a little porous. In addition, I noticed immediately that the Lightning Tech was not as stiff as a B/G, or even a W/G for that matter.
I have a friend that has a custom B/G Lightning-Tech Flash that should have weighed 27 and actually weighs 30 (only 1 pound lighter than a B/G). One measly pound isn’t enough to justify the cost in my book.
I think Bell has a few quality issues to deal with right now, and that Lightning Tech may be the future of composite boats, but I think there are still a few details to iron out…
PK
bell canoe works
i’ve heard quite a few complaints about bell QC in recent months. I hope they’re not headed in the wrong direction with the bill mason boats and the emphasis on whitewater. i have always thought that bell was at its pinnacle, so far at least, when the company was focusing on solo cruisers that were easy to handle, a pleasure to paddle and easy on the eye. i will say this…i’m glad i have a 1999 model.