While there are a number of kayaks made from thermoformed plastic (e.g, Perception/Dagger's Airalite and Eddyline's Carbonlite 2000) the overall popularity of the boats for performance use appears to be limited and I, being one to always want to test things for myself, recently had the chance to paddle a number of these boats and after a little research have come up with a sort of pros and cons view on these kayaks.
I recently put thermoformed kayaks from Eddyline and Hurricane Kayaks to the test.
The Product(s): The first kayak I paddled was the new Eddyline Fathom LVand while I had my doubts about the boat before taking it out I was thoroughly impressed with the boat from start to finish. The first thing I noticed when I picked it up was how light it was. At 15 and a half feet the boat weighs only about 45 pounds. Unlike some of the earlier thermoform boats I had paddled in the past the Fathom had remarkably little of the flex that is normally associated with thermoformed boats. The other boats I paddled were the Eddyline Falcon (18' 50lbs) and Nighthawk 16 (16", 49 lbs), both of which I was equally pleased with, and a Hurricane Kayaks Tracer 16.5 (16'6", 46 lbs ) and Tracer 15.5.
The Pros: Thermoformed plastic seems to have hit the proverbial nail on the head as far as quality in initial product goes. Along with my testing of these boats I questioned seasoned paddlers about their own views and skepticism's of thermoformed boats and while a number of concerns were brought up the predominant flag was excessive flex in the boats' hulls. While thermoform boats do have more flex then a fiberglass or composite boat their overall strength is quite formidable. As testimony to the strength and durability of the material you will find that most new cars no longer have heavy steel bumpers but a thermoformed piece of plastic instead and if that isn't enough proof then feel free to watch this video of blatant abuse to the hull of an Delta Kayak:
Thermoformed kayaks in addition to being lightweight have the added attraction of being considerably less expensive (between 2400 and 2800 dollars for touring boats) than the typical fiberglass or composite boat which runs between 3000 and 4500 dollars. Also unlike the typical rotomolded polyethylene plastic kayak the thermoformed plastic kayak is much easier to repair once some substantial damage such as an actual hole is inflicted. Yet another lesser, but still beneficial feature is the UV fade protection included in many thermoformed plastics.
The Cons:Now to the bad news... while the benefits of the thermoformed boat are numerous and impressive the boats as a collective group have some considerable downfalls, the most notable being not all thermoformed boats are created equal. While companies like Eddyline have worked out nearly all of the problems with the material more recreation oriented companies like Hurricane Kayaks have produced less than top notch products ie: the Tracer 16.5 & 15.5 which I also paddled and found to have an unacceptable amount of flex throughout the entire boat, effecting its performance. This flex was also present in the thigh braces, making edging uncomfortable and unstable. The next downfall comes in the event of damage resulting in a leak. While the boats are easy to repair you will need to have a rep. make the repair in most cases and the more significant problem arises when water gets between the different layers of plastic allowing liquid to work its way to all parts of the boat and cause future problems.
The Breakdown:The bottom line is that these kayaks--with continued improvement--might revolutionize the kayaking world...but not just yet. Sorry if you were looking for decisiveness. The fact of the matter is these boats need work (some more than others, * cough cough*) in certain areas. However for the most part thermoformed boats should appeal to a wide variety of people such as those who are worried about weight for solo loading but don't want to put out the dough for a kevlar boat, or for those who need a boat that has some of the performance characteristics of a fiberglass boat but don't need the price attached to them. Overall I think thermoformed boats will gain prevalance in the upcoming years but for many hardcore/old-school paddlers fiberglass will remain the standard.
Product Pics & Links:
Eddyline Fathom LV:
http://www.eddyline.com/eddyline-kayaks-legendary-design-fathom-lv.php
Eddyline Nighthawk 16:
http://www.eddyline.com/eddyline-kayaks-legendary-design-nighthawk-16.php
Eddyline Falcon S18:
http://www.eddyline.com/eddyline-kayaks-legendary-design-falcon-s18.php
Hurricane Kayaks Tracer 16.5:
http://www.hurricaneaquasports.com/tracer-165.html
18 comments:
Hi all,
sadly the review was missing the best component. Delta Kayaks.
The High end of Thermoforming ocean and recreational, paddling designs. Simply try them to understand
I agree with most of your comments comparting Eddyline to Hurricaine kayaks. The fit and finish of the Eddyline product is light years ahead of every Hurricaine I've seen. My Fathom holds its own against every high end fiberglass boat I've been on the water with. Both the Fathom and Nighthawk are fast, stable, low flex and fully capable for distance touring or day paddling. Even the hatch covers and seadog footbraces are at the top end of the scale. I'm biased for the thermoform product because I own an Eddyling product. I justify owning the theromoform boat because it has better than average ridgity and stiffness, it's extremly fast and light, and its plastic roots allow greater duribilty and you won't have the gel coat issues that our fiberglass cousins experience.
I have some problems with this review.
First, the author really has not made an attempt to compare the qualities of thermoformed plastic IN DETAIL with other materials. What is needed is a detailed comparison of durability, stiffness, impact resistance, scratch resistance, scratch color, etc.
Second, there is more than one reason why a specific boat might have too much flex, not just the nature of the material. It could be the THICKNESS of the material, the ARCHITECTURE of the hull, or the overall hull shape.
The author makes a general statement that if you get a hole in this material you're in trouble. First, a hole is unlikely because of the impact resistance of thermomolded plastic. Second, the problem described is the same as with multilayer rotomolded plastic, as used by, say, Old Town.
I completely agree that Hurricane kayaks have way too much flex. This prolem is NOT encountered in Eddyline and Swift kayaks, both of which incorporate some stiffening architecture into the shape of the deck, and I suspect they are made of superior material to begin with.
The review leaves out Swift kayaks. I own a Swift, purchased after careful research. I am completely delighted with the material. It looks brand new after a year of use. Even a beginner feels the superior stiffness of the boat immediately, compared to rotomolded plastic.
I will never go back to rotomolded plastic and I hope I never have to deal with fiberglass, kevlar, and carbon. Thermoformed plastic is a material that doesn't need to be babied.
It's a disservice to the industry to publish such an incomplete review of a fantastic material and conclude in such a general way that it's not all that great, citing kayaker opinion without mentioning how many people were polled, their level of knowledge, their level of experience, etc. This is just plain unscientific.
I have looked at a Swift Kiwassa boat, and a Delta 12.10. I will be buying the Delta 12.10. The previous poster is correct, the Swift boat is a great boat and it does not flex like some lower quality boats. The reason that I am choosing the Delta boat is because of it's superior quality and I believe it is better suited to rougher waters. As far as quality, when you see the Delta and compare it to the Swift, look at the glue holding the bulkheads in place. The Delta has a smooth perfect line. The Swift has a much more messy line. There are other minor details, but I don't want to sound like a salesperson. I also like the hatches on the Delta better. They had bigger openings, much better seals that could easily keep water out with just bungees keeping them shut, the Swift needed straps that have to be tightened VERY tight. The salespeople always emphasize the importance of getting these straps tight in order to seal water out. This makes them more difficult to operate. Not prohibitively more difficult, but what is work on the Swift, is easy on the Delta. I believe the Swift is a little bit faster then the Delta, but even then, I'm not sure. So if you look at a Swift, remember to compare it to a competitive Delta. It will certainly make you think. I almost bought a Swift, and then I realized how good the Delta's are. It really is impressive.
Personally, I believe if an author is going to make reviews, then he / she needs to have facts, figures, and CORRECT information. Then try ALL products out there to make a comparison, otherwise, that "review" is worthless and can actually do harm. People read these reviews and some use them to make "educated" decisions when purchasing. Do the industry a service and not a disservice and review intelligently next time.
The video was the wrong company. The company from the video wasn't even reviewed. There were only two companies reviewed while more than 8 make thermoformed kayaks.
And by the way, while it is your opinion that thermoforming has a long way to go to take over the market, if this were true, then why are a good number of kayak manufacturers moving to thermoforming their most popular boat lines? ie: Seaward, Current Designs, Wilderness Systems, Prijon...
Update and response to Delta remarks above
Since making my comments about Swift, I have had a chance to demo and inspect Deltas and Eddylines.
I demoed the Delta 12, 14, and 15. The 12 is a great snappy little boat and I agree with the above poster who purchased it. However, the Delta 14 and 15 paddle like barges. They are slow, lumbering boats. Very stable, and the seat is one of the most comfortable on the market, but speed and turning are really sub par.
Among Swift, Delta, Eddyline, and Hurricane, Eddyline is the clear winner in all categories except seat comfort, which goes to Delta. The hull design, esthetics, speed, stability, turning, and fittings are all better in the Eddylines.
Hurricane is in a distant 4th place to the other three in all respects. It is several hundred to a thousand dollars cheaper and will please a buyer who wants to upgrade from rotomolded but can't afford much. But there are rotomolded boats that are stiffer than Hurricanes.
Does anyone have any experience with the Hurricane sit-on-top models? Do they have the same problems with rigidity? I'm a fisherman in search of a lightweight kayak and sit-on-tops are generally better suited for fishing.
Hi all,
From reading all your comments, it is obvious that you have much experience with kayaks. The review and the discussions around it are invaluable to me as I am new to kayaking and right now in the process of my purchase decision. Leaving in Australia, I have found the choice of international brands is limited (no Eddyline or Swift), prices relatively high and that’s where your advice would be very useful to me. I leave on the lake (~200 m away) and intend to paddle regularly throughout the year primarily for fitness and enjoyment (~ 2 hours trip).
I would like to be limited at this stage to a kayak ~3-3.8 m long, not so heavy, so I can carry it by myself (preferably) or on the carry-trolley. My budget is limited to AU$1300. I prefer a sit-in kayak and what I have spotted so far is the following three options that are readily available and is likely to be suited: Emotion Glide – AU$950 (discounted to $750); Dagger Drifter 10.1 (Australia) - $899; and Hurricane Santee 116 Sport or Recreational (not sure which one) - $1300 (discounted from $1600). I thought initially that Hurricane would be a lighter, more stylish and easier to carry, but looking at your comments on the Hurricane brand being inferior by miles to any other existing brand producing thermoformed kayaks, I am now unsure. This is a more expensive boat and if I won’t enjoy it or it will give me problems with the maintenance, I would be disappointed paying significantly more and not getting value for money.
I need to act with the order pretty quickly (particularly with Hurricane, as they could hold one Emotion Glide for me another 3 days before it goes), so your early advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you, Alex
Gidday,
I have owned a Hurricane Tracer165 for a year now and paddled over 300km. I have not noticed any flex of the hull. The kayak is light, fast and fun. The hull material is good looking and sleek in the water, giving maximum performance for your effort. Do not hesitate in jumping in one of these and giving it a go. you might just like it.
WE purchased a used Hurricaine kayak, it has a leak under the seat does not leak when adding watr only leaks when you sit in it and the fine crack must expand. How do you repair, who do you contact for informtion and help.
Live in Fl. thanks dmace9@gmail.com
I have a Hurricane Santee Sport and just noticed a small crack in the bottom. Any ideas on how to repair this?
Eddyline Fathom: ~$2499
Hurricane Tracer: ~$1299-1499
Yes, the Hurricane flexes more, is it worth $1000 both being plastic?
You can generally find a kevlar or fiberglass boat at the same price as the Eddylines.
Anton here from C-Kayak, Hurricane distributor in Australia. We have been selling Hurricane kayaks in Australia for the past four years, along with various other thermoformed brands and models. Hurricane is our overall best selling brand and, despite selling thousands of Hurricane kayaks, the percentage of problems / complaints / issues we receive is less than that of all the rest (including the composites and poly boats too). My wife padddles a Hurricane Tracer and absolutely loves it. Our eight store managers and various wholesdle customers have nothing bad to say about the brand. My only gripe in fact is that I am too big for the Tracer so they need to bring out something a little bigger for the big fellas :)
I paddled a Delta 12'10" for nearly a year and mostly happy with it. It experienced some hairline cracks when dropped on its end (had just cleaned and put 303 on it and it slipped as I was loading it) then when at 28 degrees it cracked a large area in the side with a slight pull against the saddle in dismounting I felt really frustrated. The boat slipped over rock in the BWCA fine, but impact resistant it is not despite the video. The manufacturer has been great with service, but direct impact is something to be wary of.
Hi, I agree with Mark... You missed the review of the Delta Kayaks. I am a proud owner of two Delta 16's... I have yet to meet a thermoformed Kayak that can stand its ground next to the Delta 16.
Thanks for this post !! A simplified and low-cost mode of thermoforming is deployed in producing plastic packaging goods, car dashboards, engines covers of truck and railcar interiors etc.
I love my Delta. I went into it having rented a few and tried out several different types and models. In the end the Delta was a great compromise between cost, weight and performance. Much better than I had expected to find.
At 16' and 45lbs, i would have paid double the amount for something else with similar characteristics, and I do not notice *any* flex while on the water (or out of the water for that matter).
There will come a time when I want a more expensive boat, but when that time comes, I will consider buying another Delta if I'm not after more rocker or a flatter hull.
I noticed that someone above was complaining about the speed of the Delta's he/she tried.
I have experienced very decent performance speed wise from my Delta 16, and it's very efficient to paddle.
It's got better liner performance than a lot of the boats I've been paddling with this year. However is has almost zero rocker, which makes it an excellent cruiser, but it takes very wide turns, particularly if you are using a skeg (we found pulling the step up during a tight turn worked best).
Mostly I've been paddling open water, where tight turns are not an issue, and I haven't really had much issue on the larger rivers around here. Taking it through a swam might be a bit tight though.
Summary: A real Sea Kayak, good performance, very little rocker, so turns are sluggish. No noticeable flex for the material, and extremely light weight (carbon and kevlar are lighter, but usually only by a few pounds).
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