Hi, just want to buy a canoe to take with us on camping trip, or paddling in city lakes occasionally. The canoe will have to park outside of the garage. What type of canoe material can survive the heat, dry weather, and sunlight. I think I will cover it with a tarp, but still pretty hot underneath. I don’t want to spend more $600, and a used canoe is just fine. Thanks in advance.
I would look for a glass boat
Fiberglass handles heat quite well, better than plastic.
For that kind of money, you will need to find a used one.
The Old Town Discos
crossed link poly material stood up good for us when we lived in the San Joaquin Valley for a year.
We were in an apartment and mine stayed on the car roof in the hot sun.
That was over ten years ago and the canoe is still in good shape.
They are just about industructable, but they weigh a ton.
You should be able to pick up a used one in good shape for that price.
Cheers,
JackL
I’m not so sure, guys…
…to me outside the garage means in the sun.
Sun means UV damage.
I’m not convinced that the glass and plastic is going to hold up well in full sun.
If you absolutely MUST store it in the sun,
probably the best choice would be aluminum, but
it could get blisteringly hot, they are noisy
as hell, and the glare might give you a vicious
headache.
If you get plastic, look for a Coleman. I don’t
like them, but they are inexpensive enough to
replace once the UV destroys them.
If it’s out of the UV–NOT just in the shade–then
the original posters are spot on.
I was going to suggest a
silver tarp over it.
If it is going to be out there for many years, naturally it’s life will be shortened.
Cheers,
JackL
Another sugestion
If you must store it out side, make a rack of 2x4s and extend the side poles above the height of the canoe bottom. Then create a poly tarp roof over the canoe so that the tarp does not touch the canoe. Poly tarps are cheap and can be replaced every year opr so as needed. Laying a tarp right on a plastic canoe is about as bad as no tarp at all.
I agree
I think there is only one good choice - aluminum. For longevity and outdoor storage, aluminum wins hands down by a huge margin.
Because of the UV I would not choose a composite nor a plastic. Also the heat will do weird things to the plastic. The aluminum will get hot but the canoe will not be damaged.
$600 will not only get you a used aluminum canoe in great shape, but also a couple good PFDs, a couple good paddles, and a tank of gas in the car to pick up everything.
Get a giant SUV with huge ground
clearance, and hang the canoe UNDER it.
Otherwise, get a used FG or ABS boat and paint it with aluminum paint. You’ll save on 303 costs in the long run.
Aluminum
No doubt about it, Aluminum will outlast any other material. Buy a good old Gurmman, and you can take it anywhere, even 40 years from now. If you store it outside, be sure to chain/padlock it to something solid.
Please explain
I don’t understand the comments on UV degredation of fiberglass. There are 30 year old cars, trucks, and boats all over the place that use fiberglass in body panels and hulls. Granted the layup is heavier, but I have never seen a UV related failure of fiberglass. Faded gelcoat is another story.
Ram X or RamXcel or Polylink3?
Got a 25% coupon from Sport Authority, so looking to spend at something around $400.
What do you think about RamX versus RamXcel and Polylink3 (Old town). RamXcel has a foam layer between (like a cooler), so it must be much more rigid and stronger than RamX. Don’t know anything about Polylink3. Probably similar to RamXcel.
Appreciate any prof opinion. THX again.
Aluminum
There are airplanes from World War II sitting out in the sun in the desert at Tuscon and near Phoenix, they are just fine. The Airforce sends its planes to Davis_Montham field to sit mothballed in the desert sun. I kept a old aluminum smoker craft in the shade in Tucson for a couple of years with no problem. Problem is it will be a reflector oven when you get in it. Most paddling in Arizona is not done during the summer though, except in northern arizona
That concrete canoe
from the SUV thread. So long as the rebar isn’t showing. Then you got rust to deal with.
I’ve seen glass canoes that were very…
…heavily damaged by UV.
Concrete canoe …
very funny hehhe…but in fact, I was on a concrete canoe for a week out in the sea.
In the examples
you cite, the fibreglass is protected by a chemical coating (clearcoat), or a chemical additive (catalyst), that incorporates an UV screening agent.
Fibreglass unprotected by such components will most definitely degrade concurrent with the degree of UV exposure. Brittleness and exterior chalking are the first symptoms.
The altitude where one lives has a definite impact upon the amount of UV received. Here in teh Rockies the exposure is intense at 5000+’ above sea level. For this reason, we (my autobody shop), always apply an extra coat of clear on vehicles for our clients when doing a complete refinish job.
You have probably observed vehicles from any of the domestic manufacturers during the late 80s through the late 90s that appeared as though they were peeling after only a few years of consumer use. This was due to said mfrs using inferior catalysts or reducing the ratios during production. (catalyst is very expensive). The end result was excessive UV absorption and the resultant refinish material failure.
This is one of the reasons products such as 303 are very important to use if your item is going to be exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods and, to a lessor degree, indirect sunlight. Plastics will degrade far quicker than commercially built composite boats.
The sun is a wonderful thing but only in moderation!
Holmes