Hey,

There seems to be a bit of a buzz around composite playboats with GuiGui Prod and now a major manufacturer are thinking about putting one in production.



Does anyone know whether Riot are going down the same lines with a composite playboat? Ive heard rumours.

If big kayak manufacturers are putting them into production they must feel they can sell them at a resonable price and that there is a demand.

Does anyone know any more details about these composite boats? will they actually go into production and be available around the world?
Will this be the end of plastic playboats?

www.doubleyouess.com/currentNews.php?news_id=359 . The Project carbon is a playboat designed for highly competitive playboaters. I don't think we will see more of these boats and fewer plastic boats because of price. Also, the Riot Kayaks are surf kayaks seen at this link. teamriotkayaks.com/?page_id=11 .

Also, Drakkar already makes composite WW kayaks.

I think most people will stick with plastic, as it is durable. I've known for a long time now, that it would only be a matter of time before competitions started using composite boats. I mean, when you're competing against the best in the world, you're also going to be using the best equipment. If they can make faster/lighter boats with composite they will use them to win competitions. But this isn't going to be practical for many other people, except under some extreme circumstances. e.g. you only playboat in an artificial course with minimal rocks to hit, and/or in the ocean. But even then you'll need to justify the extra cost that these boats will be.

But I like the fact Wavesport have made a 'concept' boat. Put in a heap of new idea's to show customers, then maybe use some of them later on in production models. This can only help speed up the evolution of whitewater kayaks!

Also checkout this page: www.peakuk.com/peakukshop.php?content=kayaks
Theres a carbon fibre riot disco for sale there. It's been there for at least 1 year!

If you read the description of the Disco, it said it was custom made, not mass produced like other boats. here is a forum on this. Even though it is in german, you can still pull up the links. www.soulboater.de/de/forum/thread/view/10724/

with carbon fiber, once it cracks the whole thing is un-reparable, even if it's built like the sweet strutter helmet which uses a crazy plastic/carbon composite, once it's cracked it's doomed for. That's taking a risk I would think with all those rocks right under the play feature. I mean, how many times have you guys bumped a nose or stern when doing any kind of cartwheel or loop?? hmm..

Can anyone explain what this composite will be made of so it can resist cracking and hits to big rocks...

Everyone used to prototype in composite. Whether it was all fiberglass, kevlar/aramid, or with carbon depended on the budget of the particular design process as well as if they thought they could sell a couple. I know a local couple around here who still paddle kevlar/glassfiber Perception Pirouettes.

Prototyping in plastic is less expensive and the manufacturers can get the boats out to their pros and let people beat on them. That's why most prototyping went that direction. Every now and then a boat still ends up in composite for some odd reason. Usually, it's an indicator that it won't be mass produced in plastic. The metal molds for plastic boats is expensive. A mold for composite boats is less expensive so (if the perception is that the market is there) then a company can sell a few composite boats without tooling up to go to plastic.

Composite boats are very nice. Stiff. Light. But, unless you are paddling deep spots (and know how to avoid rocks) then you are making very many repairs.

Carbon CAN be fixed, but it's never quite the same.
Kevlar is more resiient in the long run, but very flexy without foam core or some carbon mixed in for stiffness.
Fiberglass is in many forms, so you need to know which variant of glass is used.

Composite boats are nice, but you really can't rock spin, splat, play in shallow features, or do any low volume creeking in them. It's best reserved for race boats, or class III/IV cruisers where the object is to have nice lines while avoiding rocks. If you get a playboat in composite, chances are it will look like Frankenstein's monster by the end of it's first season (with all the repairs) and probably be much heavier than when it started (all the added weight of the repairs). But, it stil is very fun to paddle a composite boat.