Ok, so I'm kicking myself hard for selling a little used royalex argosy a few years ago. Now I need a solo boat for the streams around here, where shallow water is the norm. I have a wilderness in tuffweave, but that gelcoat is beautiful, the hull not ideal, and I'm not crazy about putting a skid plate on this boat. Any alternatives to royalex these days that doesn't weigh a ton and will stand up to river use?
Well, The Tuffweave Will Handle It…
…but as you noted, that nice finish will be forever changed.
The Novacraft Tuffstuff seems to be pretty tough, but like Tuffweave, I hear also has a gelcoat that will eventually be damaged by shallow water rocky rivers.
Esquif’s new T-Formex sounds “Promising,” but I have lots of experience with their last “Promising” material, Twintex. It proved to be problematic and Esquif has had all sorts of problems getting the new material on the market, it seems? I’m skeptical.
I’ve found plenty of royalex boats on the market still, especially Wenonahs. I’d search here on P.net and “Searchtempest,” which includes CL and E-bay. “Endeavor to persevere” and you’ll find that boat!
http://www.searchtempest.com/
Skip the gel-coat. Drop the weight.
http://millbrookboats.com/
I use my Coho in bony streams all the time. Shallow surface scratches on S glass are no big deal, and don’t feel as bad to your psyche.