Canoe Ponderings by Red Rock Wilderness StoreCanoe Ponderings by Red Rock Wilderness Store
Why Buy Carbon Tec Canoes?
Q. I have a 17 foot Grumman now and am looking for something lighter. I'm
pretty much convinced Souris River is the way to go. I've read through
your site and one thing puzzles me, why would people pay more for
carbon-tec than straight kevlar if it's somewhat weaker and only a
couple of pounds lighter ? Am I missing something ?
Thanks,
Bill
They buy Carbon Tec's for two reasons. First it's a few pounds lighter and although it sounds like it's minimal, it is noticeable when you switch from a kevlar Q-17 to a Carbon Tec Q-17. The second reason is the appearance. Just like buying cars for the sake of their beautiful paint job, some folks buy carbons because they look really cool. With the black gunwales, they look like a stealth canoe - designed to be paddled upstream while holding a large knife between the teeth and a strip of cloth tied around the forehead.
As far as the weaker aspect of the Carbon Tec, it is so close to kevlar in strength and durability that it's really a non-issue. They hold up equally as well as kevlar SR's. We've sold many Carbon Tec's over the years and they rarely come back with any issues if at all. The actual construction difference between the two canoes is that one of the two sheets of kevlar in the canoe has been replaced by a sheet of Carbon fiber whcih tends to make the hull a bit stiffer and a little lighter. If you paddle either layup side by side with a blindfold on, I doubt that you'd notice even a remote difference, although a slightly stiffer hull should technically be a tad more responsive. In comparing a kevlar Q-17 to a Grumman 17, when you paddle hard, you really cover a lot of water in the Quetico 17. While sitting still on the water, with the exception of the hard aluminum seat in the Grumman, the Q-17 feels much like a Grumman. After picking up a kevlar Q-17 for a portage, the Gruman feels like a boat anchor. On the water the Grumman makes water-lapping noises, the Q-17 is silent which brings us back to the knife-in-teeth scenario.
Anyway, I hope this info helps you out. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email or call me at 1-800-280-1078. Thanks!
Joe
Red Rock