Duralite Input Requested

I’m looking for some input from anyone that owns or had owned a kayak made of duralite. I have been told by a dealer that they don’t carry kayaks made of duralite. He claimed that he had some issues with duralite.



Does anyone know of issues regarding kayaks made of duralight? I am interested in hearing about your experience with this layup, either good or bad.



Thanks, Jon

lotsa info in the Archives
hit the archives link and enter Duralite and from the dropdowns select Messages (“All Messages”). A number of posts will pop up.



The front third of them are mainly about canoes, but you will find the middle and later threads pretty much on point and you can glean much good info from them.





now since you asked:



My only experience w. Duralite was in July of last year when I had just started kayak shopping. Like most folks I wanted a rec kayak, and for me in particular a light one, easy to handle.



In front of an Ann Arbor paddle shop, out on the sidewalk, was a Pungo 120 displayed vertically. It was Duralite, and on sale for $730 because the material sticker was placed incorrectly. It was not a blem in any respect & the original papers were in plastic lashed to the kayak.



Like any buyer will I was running my fingers on it- the stern, the stern hatch, under the coaming, etc. It was very hot that day, about 98 degrees without the additional bake factor of the sidewalk.



My little fingers left very slight impressions in the coaming and the inside of the hull. I was pretty horrified thinking I had marred the kayak! But no, the material is so thin that was all it took to make an impression on it. I want to believe my finger dents popped back later like plastic does.



And that made an impression on me. Bought a Hurricane Aquasports TampicoS for the exact same price a month later, a first quality boat from a dealer. They are made of Trylon, you can search for threads on that material, too.



Good huntin’ to you and hope you find just the right kayak!

thanks
I tried going through the archives, but I guess I didn’t go back far enough. Using your suggestion, I was able to get to a bunch of posts regarding this material.



I will pass this on to my friend who is looking for a kayak.



Jon

poly, but thinner
with additional foam support. Ok if you aren’t gonna use the boat hard and are ok with a few wows here and there. However, the carry balance points, for whatever reason, are much further forward than on standard poly or glass boats, so be prepared to lift the front end of the boat a little as you shoulder carry it.

develops dents sitting on it’s side
not a smart application of plastic