Thermoformed deformation

So, if I keep adding weight in the
cockpit, the hull is never going to bend? It’s just going to stay straight as an arrow until there’s so much water that it overtops the cockpit, and the boat sinks? Doesn’t seem likely…

Never said it wouldn’t
the answer to your question is your post above mine …



the “emporary distortion” one.



Permanent can happen with the boat hung by the ends cycling in heat. This is what I am talking about.


i see
A myth busters type experiment. I have a turd oil canned poly tandem in my back yard. So I am thinking the weight should be on a two square foot platform simulating a big ass print. It seems like it would deform before it sank, but not permanently like hanging your boat from the straps.



Ryan L.

That might have to do with the
inadequacy of the grab handles for hanging the weight of the boat. Whitewater boats typically have much stronger grab loops. The carry handles on my poly touring kayak are screwed into the plastic, and the screws aren’t that large or deep.

Thermoformed would be more
susceptible to warping than a composite boat. But I still wonder whether, in my carport, a thermoformed boat would be heated enough to warp.

What about carrying the boat by hand?
The manufacturer probably recommends against storing the kayak using these handles because they would get hung overhead and someone would end up having a kayak land on their head. Better safe than to have a lawsuit.



The carry handles MUST be plenty strong or you could not count on them to carry the kayak to the beach from the parking lot. There is just less liability since the yak won’t fall on anyone’s head during a portage.



Too bad they didn’t comment about the original question of the hull changing shape while stored and stuck to the safe legally required comments.



Dave

Well, the ones on my Necky are not
impressive. I think they’re ok for carrying, and I guess I wouldn’t hesitate to hang the boat from them if I weren’t concerned that the poly would warp. But the more serious issue is tying the ends of the boat to the car to make it secure. The kayak need not, should not, be tied down tight, but forseeable traffic and bad road circumstances could put enough tension on those little screws that they might let go. Modern ww grab loops are much more secure.