Kayak Materials 101: Which One Is Best For You? 

Liked and subscribed. Consistent no-nonsense content without any gimmicks. There aren't a lot of great kayaking channels out there...you're maybe one of four along with River Kings, Paddle TV, and Happy Paddlin'...and I for one appreciate the information that you're sharing.

This summer I was talked into a Hurricane Skimmer. When I got it home, the owner's manual said no impacts- not even class one rapids. This boat was unusable for me. I never used it. Sold a brand new $1200 kayak for $1000. Was a terrible experience. Alternatively, my $400 kayak has provided so much fun for me and my dog. I don't have to be careful; all I need to do is have fun.

Excellent video! I just picked up my EddyLine skylark 12, 2 weeks ago and the difference in just gliding down the water is night day from the polyethylene pelican I started out with. It gets plenty of compliments too even from the composite guys. Bought it based on your videos, keep up the awesome work!

Thank you for making this video - I've been researching and think I've nailed down what I want and your info provided a good understanding of the pros and cons. Cheers !

Great presentation which will help newbies in selecting a paddle boat. I recently looked at one of the fastest ocean ski's at just under 20 lbs and a full 21 ft long, the NK Nitro 640 with with prepreg carbon construction. The price is way out of my range for a fast composite boat.

Great review…so well done…so helpful.

Great video! Composite also holds a special place in our hearts too😉

This was very helpful to me, thank you.

Thank you! Excellent!

Excellent video as usual! It confirms that I made the right choice by ordering an Eddyline sandpiper that I should received next week! Thank you for all the information. I learned so much from your channel !

great rundown of the various price points.

Great breakdown! Never knew the pros and cons. I'm a Hobie fishing kayak guy, but enjoy learning about all the options! Roger, The Smiling BassHole

Very informative! 👍🏻👍🏻

Merci pour les informations, cela m'aide beaucoup pour choisir un bon kayak avec vos conseils, et vous expliquer très bien,vous êtes très intéressant à écouter ! Merci Annick de Saint-Georges Quebec

Excellent breakdown on layup & material applications. It's so true about composites becoming "lifetime" boats. I have a 22 year old composite that is still beautiful. It's no longer my primary ride, but I'll always have a place for it!

Dan you are the best man. Have learned so much from your content. Keep it coming.

Fantastic info.

Nice video, thanks! However, I strongly recommend to have a look at german manufacturer Prijon who since 1982 blowmolds PE-kayaks! Those feature market leading abrasion resistance, form-stability and - speaking of which - UV-insensitivity! In addition the material - due to it's strength - can be crafted thinner, which renders Prijon kayaks lighter than the rotomolded competition. And yes - Prijon kayaks can (and WILL be) recycled by the company - Cheers!

Yees! Looking for that kind video for a long time. Thanks Dan! Best wishes from Poland 🙌🏻🛶💚🚣‍♂️

great vid Dan. great information here.

quality content, great topic!

Very helpful video!! I chose rotomolded as my first. A few years in with it now and you may have convinced me to go up to Thermoform! :) Just have to save $$$. Great video!

I have a Kevlar/fibreglass 15' Current Designs--20 years old. Kelvar top Glass bottom. It has been through the wars -- heavily gouged. The top was bleached semi white from Red. Did a complete restoration job and it looks brand new. The gouges are invisible, stronger but heavier and the kevlar top was heated with a gun and buffed back to a shine. I have since bought a 17 Delta-- it's just a Superior kayak in every way-- period. Still love the Current Designs composite; it just has a different feel on the water.

Thanks. Appreciate this

Great video, thanks.

Just want to say, I discovered your channel tonight and have gone down the rabbit hole of videos - the rest of my family is asleep! So well done, so informative, tells me what I want to know and does so in an entertaining way. Big THANK YOU from the river rats in Arkansas!

Awesome video!

Good overview. The other thing with thermoformed is the tendency for the material to split in places where it is regularly flexed. In use and handling it is something to be conscious of avoiding.

🙏 great video !

Great video and informative content!! I am looking to purchase my own kayak for the first time. Definitely think I will be going Thermoform (I’d like a composite of course but I probably should make sure I stick with kayaking before laying out that kind of $ out of the gate, haha!). I am in Texas and I wish you guys were closer, I’d love to purchase a kayak from you!!

impressive camera work and content as always

Big fan of the paddling content you have been putting out over the years. Ever think about doing a series on canoes?

Hi Dan, Thanks for all of your great videos. They've been really informative and fun to watch. I have a question about your experience with the Multi-Sport hulls. I don't want to worry as much about the Advantage hull when on shallower rivers or when tooling along the coastline. Do you notice much difference when paddling in a MS kayak versus the Advantage, i.e. periodic oil canning or flexing when you're really pushing with your feet? Thanks!

I have had 3 kayaks and still have 2. I have a Pungo140 (1st) and then a Necky Looksha Elite (gave to my girl friend) and a Current Design Solstice GT17 ( I used for a 5000 mile solo kayak trip for Mission22)

Great video with good information! I can't remember if I asked this in the past, so here goes: Is it okay to use kayak ramps with an Eddyline or Delta kayak? I'm talking about the ones that have the metal rollers for entry and exit. I want to say I've seen you use them and also use dock entry with your boats so I'm unsure.

Stellar, made in China, Seaward, made on Vancouver Island. Easy choice for me, for now very satisfied with my Delta 17 thermaformed, made in BC, Canada.

Such a helpful and informative video. I was on the fence regarding thermoform kayaks and your video cleared up my main concerns. So, I know you like Eddyline but I would love to get your opinion on Delta kayaks. I'm considering the Delta 17. The price is right and most reviews are positive. Composites are great but cost more than I want to spend at this time.

Thanks I just got a Delta 14 abs kayak and I wasn't sure it I made the right decision but I like it and you tout the abs. I think they possibly put a clear coat on it? It's 14' and weighs the same as my necky 13' at 45#.

Love your straight forward presentations. I’m 62 and looking for my last perfect for me yak, composit. Leaning towards P&H Volan. Big rivers, lakes and coasts. Multi day trips. 5’11 218 lbs. never put hands on Stellar or P&H. What would you HIGHLY recommend in 16’ to 16’8” ?

Great video. You talk about 303 protection for polyethylene kayak. I'm from across the pond so not sure what that is. Any link or maybe you cover it in another video? I'll brows them.

I've seen it happen often: people landing the poly kayak on the concrete boat ramp and wearing a hole in the hull. Also dragging the kayak across the asphalt lol.

I bought a Feelfree GeminiTandem in 2005, it has been living in the desert sun all these years and still works just fine. It's not as bright purple anymore. My Stellar will probably live in the garage for 15 years because I don't want to get a scratch on it...

Could you do a vid on kayak seats? The one I have in my kayak is super uncomfortable but I don’t know where to start when getting a new one. How do I know which seat will fit my kayak? Are seats for sit-on-tops different? How do I measure?

Polyethylene and rapids are the perfect combination

Good summary of considerations for the material when choosing a kayak. One other detail about material of your a kayak is the resale value. As you said polyethylene scratches very easy. Thermoformed not so easy and composite holds up really well if you look after them. If you decide to move on to a new kayak and sell the old one, you will get a lot more back from thermoformed or composite than polyethylene. Does not take long for polyethylene to look really used. My wife recently sold her extensively used composite kayak for the same as she bought it for 5 years earlier. Price of a new one had gone up, but that was still 65% of the original price after accounting for the inflation.

Hi Dan, is there a technical reason why carbon/kevlar hulls are not painted, or is that only done to show off the expensive material?

Hi Dan - I’ve had my composite Stellar s14 G2 for a few months now and several outings, including a seven hour class with strokes and rescues. I guess my question is, is it possible to make it a more robust bow & bottom since it wasn’t that to begin with? I’m finding it difficult to enjoy specially getting in and out and having to avoid rocky beach landings. I am sea kayaking, but not really open water and certainly not rock gardening, but I am finding that I am being so careful that it’s not fun actually very stressful. Really don’t want to sell it. Thanks for any ideas you can offer.

Can you compare Eddyline to Delta Kayaks ?

Where does Pelican fit in with their thermoformed kayaks? They are less expensive than rotomolded kayaks, and mass produced. Are they just using a cheaper thermoform plastic?

Could you use a thermoform kayaks in rivers?

about the 6:40 mark when he started to talk about the prices i knew video wasnt made for me

I've heard that 303 is damaging to ABS boats. Slowly eats away at it and softens the plastic.

You’ve dropped some lb’s recently!

1st

Wait 4k for a kayak, you mean half a car? Well do you finance? Cuz if this is going to last the next 20ish years. I would be 60 and I am in Michigan so easy water is every where.

Leaving the kayak in the sun seems to damage the elastic cords if nothing else.

In my opinion sit insides suck. They are terrible for fishing. Cant stand in them. But thats me

Just say no to PE kayaks! We gradually replaced all our PE boats with composite boats and will never go back - fiberglass is repairable and stiffer and faster and lighter and so much better looking and will last 10x longer than soft PE plastic. I would not trust thermoform plastic - crack it on a rock and your boat will sink.

I love the Stellar Advantage fiberglass composite with Soric; been paddling a few such boats for years and it doesn't spider crack at all. It does scratch though and you have to be careful not to launch or beach it but they are light enough that you can put the boat in the water or get out of it with plenty of water beneath you its not a problem. Paddling on a windy day all bets are off though! My inlaws have a pair of Wilderness Tsunami boats they picked up for themselves and us maybe 20 years ago as they live on the water and yikes they were used, abused, never cared for, left outside and they are scratched, faded and the screws are slightly (only slightly) oxidized and rusty but still paddling well. I cannot believe how we did everything we were not supposed to do like launching or beaching them long before I knew about kayaks and caring for them and all the lessons associated with the sport with how well they have held up. Unfortunately they are obnoxiously heavy to transport. I lift weights and still need someone else to help me move them. Even putting it on my shoulder/trap area the cockpit has so much heft and pressure there moving it any more than 20 feet makes me feel like the boat will amputate my shoulder. Very unpleasant.