Today canoe construction has moved away from the traditional materials such as wood and aluminum towards more modern synthetic materials such as polyethylene and Kevlar impregnated with fiberglass. Different materials each have their advantages and disadvantages and which one is best for your new canoe will depend a great deal on where you will be using it, how you intend to transport it to the water and what storage facilities you have. We've put together this guide on two materials used in canoe construction, aluminum and polyester, to help you make a good choice when buying a new canoe.
Canoe Construction with Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy
Aluminum Canoes
Aluminum was, until the last few years, the most popular option for material to use for canoe construction but it has recently been supplanted by polyethylene. Even though aluminum is very tough and hard-wearing, and is among the lighter metals, it is a good deal heavier than polyethylene. It is able to endure being dragged on the bottom and does not degrade when exposed to the sun as polyethylene can be. Canoes made from aluminum do need chambers for buoyancy and they can be difficult to control especially for unskilled paddlers. Additionally they are often heavy to carry on your back and dent if struck with plenty of force. Mending damage is also not easy and cannot be completely covered up.
Where to Use an Aluminum Canoe?
For level rivers and lakes and casual use a canoe made from aluminum will be ideal, especially if you do not have to carry it very far on your own. If you don't have room for storage inside, a canoe constructed from aluminum is clearly be a much better choice than polyethylene since it will not suffer damage from the sun's rays or deteriorate from the environment.
Places Not to Use your Aluminum Canoe
Aluminum canoes are not appropriate for white water canoeing or for water with many sharp rocks and are not recommended to be used when you will be on an extended trip and may need to carry your canoe.
Aluminum Alloy Canoes
Canoes constructed of aluminum alloy are lighter in weight and tougher than purely aluminum and a few are even lighter than polyethylene. Still, ensure that you ascertain the weight of an aluminum canoe as they may vary noticeably.
Polyethylene Canoes
Polyethylene is light and bendable, is robust and is the most prevalent materials used in canoe construction. It's relatively easy to patch and inexpensive although it is vulnerable to damage from jagged edges like branches, rocks etc. However, it's plasticity does present a problem so measures need to be used in order to make the canoe more rigid. One method is the use of aluminum to give it a rigid framework and this is the the construction method used in canoes manufactured by Coleman and marketed under the name Ram-X.
An alternative means of providing rigidity is to use a thick layer of polyethylene foam interspersed between two layers of polyethylene. This is how Old Town make their canoes and is called CrossLink 3. The foam core ensures natural buoyancy and this type of construction can better endure abrasion damage than pure polyethylene.
Polyethylene does have some disadvantages unfortunately. It isn't very buoyant so the majority of canoes that are made from polyethylene require buoyancy chambers. This material is very vulnerable to abrasion damage and this is the most widespread reason a canoe is irreparably damaged. Canoes manufactured from polyethylene are generally fairly cheap and you can save some money by opting for a model you can assemble yourself.
Where Could You Use a Polyethylene Canoe?
For smooth rivers and water without large rocks, a polyethylene canoe made with an aluminum frame such as is used in the Coleman canoes will probably be the best choice. For more extreme conditions a Crosslink 3 construction is more suitable as it will be more durable and can survive abrasion damage and sharp edges much better.
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