The most widely used canoe construction materials nowadays are aluminum, aluminum alloy, Kevlar and polyethylene. Polyethylene is becoming more and more prevalent for the construction of canoes since it is bendable, light and cheaper than other materials.
Aluminum Canoe Construction
Aluminum was, until the last few years, the usual preference for material to use for canoe construction but it has recently been supplanted by polyethylene. While aluminum is very tough and durable, and is among the lighter metals, it is a good deal heavier than polyethylene. It can stand up to being dragged on the bottom and does not degrade when exposed to the sun’s rays as polyethylene can be. Canoes constructed from aluminum will require chambers for buoyancy and they may possibly be hard to operate especially for new paddlers. Additionally they are heavy to carry and dent when impacted with plenty of force. Repairing holes is also hard and spoils the look of the canoe.
Locations Where You Can Use Your Aluminum Canoe?
For smooth rivers and lakes and for recreational use an aluminum canoe may be perfect, particularly if you don’t have to transport it far yourself. If you don’t have inside storage, this type of canoe could be a better choice than polyethylene as it won’t be affected by the uv rays from the sun or suffer deterioration from bad weather.
Unsuitable Places to Use your Aluminum Canoe
Aluminum canoes are not suitable for whitewater canoeing or for rivers with many sharp rocks and shouldn’t be used when you are on a long trip and need to portage the canoe.
Aluminum Alloy
Canoes constructed of aluminum alloy are often lighter in weight and tougher than purely aluminum and a number may be even lighter than polyethylene. Still, make sure that you find out the weight of an aluminum canoe you are thinking of buying as they often vary considerably.
Polyethylene Canoes
Polyethylene is light and flexible, is robust and is the most widely used materials used in canoe construction. It is relatively easy to repair and inexpensive although it is subject to damage from pointed edges such as branches, rocks etc. However, it’s elasticity does give rise to problems so measures need to be used to make the canoe more rigid. One approach is to use aluminum which provides a rigid support and this is the type of construction seen in canoes manufactured by Coleman and trademarked as Ram-X.
Another way to provide some rigidity is by using a thick layer of polyethylene foam interspersed between 2 layers of material. This is the means of construction employed by Old Town Canoes and is trade marked as CrossLink 3. The polythene foam gives the canoe buoyancy and this type of construction is better able to stand up to damage from abrasion than polyethylene alone.
Polyethylene is not always ideal though. It isn’t very buoyant so most canoes made from polyethylene need buoyancy chambers. This construction material is also extremely vulnerable to abrasion damage and this is the most widespread reason a canoe is irreparably damaged. Polyethylene canoes are normally fairly cheap and you might pay less by picking a model you can assemble yourself.
Where Could You Use a Polyethylene Canoe?
For level water and water where there are no large, jagged rocks, a polyethylene canoe constructed with a rigid framework as in the Coleman canoes would be the best choice. For more extreme conditions a Crosslink 3 construction would be a better choice as it will be more durable and can stand up to abrasion and sharp edges better.
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