Worry about nothing
A typical sea kayak spends 99% of it’s life on your garage wall. Even if it did absorb a little water which is highly unlikely on any decent quality layup no matter which cloth or resins are used,it would dry out quickly.
I do know that large boats which spent 100% of their life in the water do suffer from water osmosis right through the gelcoat but this takes years for it to become a problem.I think very few materials are truly water proof but for all practical purposes you can consider your kayak waterproof.
Looking forward to the coming season and getting me and my kayaks soaked as much as possible.
Bert
Kevlar Sucks - Well its just alright.
– Last Updated: Mar-10-07 2:49 PM EST –
Kevlar sucks, not because of any insignificant water wicking, but because it is not stiff enough a material for non-cored kayak construction.
Its good for boats that will hit things on a regular basis. But for normal sea kayak construction it is just not that great.
Sorry, but the truth is better than perception. I know a lot of you own Kevlar kayaks and spent a lot of money on them. I did too. Its still my primary boat. You can decide on your own whether to listen to the advice from someone in the boat business and 6 years of experience paddling a Kevlar boat or the overly excited opinions of the guy who just dropped $3700 on his new Kevlar dream boat.
I sure agree with that. If you don’t
hit stuff hard and regularly, Kevlar has no special advantage over alternatives. I would say, though, that SOME non-glass fabric ought to be on the inside of the boat, to avoid the owner getting the itchies as the boat sheds little glass fibers with age. Have seen that happen with some old glass kayaks and C-1s.
Kevlar also has poor abrasion
Kevlar also has very poor abrasion resistance.
My Kevlar boat has worn right through to the outer most S-glass layer where the heels of my paddling shoes touch the floor. Won’t be long til water is bubling up to my toes.
I will use glass to fix those areas. Glass has very good abrasion resistance.
Interesting…Some would say just the
opposite. I like S-glass skid plates because they slide easy and wear smooth. Kevlar fibers tend to catch when dragged, but fans of Kevlar felt swear that it wears well.
it’s a good thins to argue about.
I’m with you. I know it absorbs water but it really doesn’t matter as no one but those who like to argue will notice.
well now
I have two tempests 165 kevlars on the way.
I ordered the kevlar for the same reason most people do, to save a little wieght, as I am getting older.
They are made with a first layer of glass cloth and finishing in kevlar.
If I live long enough that the kayaks absorb so much water that they become to heavy or get to soft and flexable to effect performance, well I’ll just give em away and get two more.
They are my retirement presents and I can hardly wait to get them.
Dennis
You will love them
and have many happy travels in them. A lot of this tech talk, though technically accurate at times, needs to be taken in perspective. I think Wildy is doing a decent to excellent job on their composites, so paddle away and have fun.
Heels wearing through also
The Kevlar Meridian I just got has the same problem - worn through to the outer layer of glass. My repair-guy contact says to use regular glass and West System epoxy for the repair. I wonder why that epoxy and not other brands…
AAM
Cheap and available to masses
Not cheap, but reliable and effective.
You can also get good epoxy from Sytem 3 and from Raka.
Startup cost for a quart of West, a little can of hardener, and the metering pumps is usually around 60-65 dollars. But, unlike polyester, West epoxy stays usable for several year. And unlike cheap tube epoxy, West is thin and soaks well into fiberglass, Kevlar, whatever. Also a great wood glue and surface sealer for wood.
stiff enough for non-cored construction
kevlar can be made stiff enough for non-cored construction, by adding on or two extra layers (of kevlar). There will be little weight saving then compared to an all-glasfibre lay-up, but the strength gain will be significant.
Tsunami sit-ons
now those were tough, and heavy
name brand recognition
any epoxy will do.
heel wear
I was thinking about glueing down a pad of nylon covered neoprene ( 1/4 inch wet suit material ) where the foot rest. Wouldn’t that take care of the heel wear factor? and make it more comfortable for the heel.
Any thoughts on this?
Dennis
it would
but putting in heel stops would probably do more for foot comfort AND reducing wear. Sure, give it a try.
yep, have fun
this thread is more along the lines of the size of the angels that can fit on a particular size of pin.
You will love your Kevlar Boats
I’m sure your new Kevlar boats will provide years of enjoyment. I’ve paddled my Kevlar boat very hard for 6 or 7 years now and its still fun and does the job well. I was thrilled when I bought it and it took me a season or two to begin to discover the shortcomings of Kevlar.
Going forward I will only get carbon (or carbon glass) built kayaks because: I love paddling so the extra cost is worth it, the carbon makes for a much stiffer boat, the carbon makes for a much lighter boat, and despite paddling in rocky coastline I do not hit rocks.
Oh yeah, and putting a 40 lb carbon sea kayak on a roof is much easier than a 55 lb Kevlar boat.
These are all important considerations for me. But they may not be important enough for someone else to justify the added expense of carbon. Carbon is still expensive adding about $1000 over Kevlar. I suspect carbon prices will come down dramatically in the future. When they do I suspect Kevlar will go away as a primary building material for kayaks.
Cost of Kevlar vs Carbon
I just checked the QCC Kayaks website to compare the current cost of Kevlar construction vs. Carbon. Their biggest boat, the QCC700 costs $3,195 in Kevlar and $3,695 in carbon. So that is a $500 difference or a 16% higher cost for carbon.
To me that is a small price to pay for the huge difference in performance.
They also offer a carbon/Kevlar hybrid priced in between for those who want a little more impact resistance. This is probably a good choice for many paddlers who will give up a few pounds for some peace of mind. Having one layer of carbon in the build will make a big difference in stiffness.