Benefit of composite kayaks

Question

what are the tangible benefits of an expensive composite kayak over its plastic counterpart? will an intermediate paddler realize a big difference in performance? or is the difference more cosmetic? i would like to make the investment next season in a high end composite touring kayak, but have no access right now to compare the differences. i also dont want to spend the money if its unnecessary and wont offer obvious advantages. thank you

Answer 1

Besides being lighter and slightly faster than a plastic kayak, composite boats will hold up better under normal wear and tear. Plastic boats will deteriorate more readily in UV and can warp due to a combination of heat and stress in certain points (such as in storage or car-topping). Plastic will generally handle traumatic impact (such as hitting rocks) better than fiberglass, which is why the majority of whitewater boats are plastic. That said, composite boats can often be repaired more readily than plastic.

If you do go composite, think twice before spending extra for Kevlar over fiberglass. Besides being lighter, Kevlar won't give you much more advantage over glass, and it can actually make for a weaker boat since less material is used.