SINK - Thermoformed Eddyline/Delta vs Composite/FG?

Not sure how many of you guys are only running SOTs. While I love my Trident 13, I am thinking of picking up a SINK as I am one of those odd ducks that actually enjoys paddling. I know that Nanook works for Alder Creek and I would love some input from any of you guys' in the know. I know finding a SINK touring yak is a lot different than finding a SOT that works for you, so that being said, curious about your thoughts on thermoformed boats like Eddyline Delta vs rotomolded boats like lower end Necky and WS, vs nice glass or kevlar boats. I am leaning towards a thermoformed Eddyline or Delta just because it seems like you have the strength of a rotomolded boat with the stiffness and weight savings of a glass or kevlar boat. Not sure how this holds up in practice though so please edumacate me, lol!

I have a SIK, a Necky zoar sport angler to be exact.  It's my first 'yak, I realized how much more suited SOT's were for fishing after I purchased it.  That being said, I love it.  I'm glad I went with a rotomolded boat for my first kayak, when your coming in from a long paddle it's nice to be able to run it on shore, on some gavel or what not and not have to worry about it.  Also when porting, you can drag it a bit without worry.   I know for a fact I'd be really antzy about letting other people use my kayak if i had gone with a high end one, i could just see myself biting my lips everytime someone banged it into the dock or whatever.  We take our kayaks all the time camping and are always letting family or friends take them out and play when were doing other thigns around camp, I just don't think it'd be like that If I personally had a glass or kevlar boat. Just my 2¢...

I came from sit-insides kayaks, and still paddle them at least as much as SOTs. My current boat is a Necky Chatham 17. On materials, I'm a big fan of plastic. Composite boats are nice, but I've never been able to justify the increase in cost for a slight increase in performance. I'm also much more comfortable doing repair work on plastic than composites if & when it needs to be done.

My highly biased 2 cents.
Brian

pm sent, hoping you reply.

Here is my view:

Polyethylene/plastic/rotomolded: PROS-Most affordable, most impact resistant. CONS-Heaviest, get's soft when hot and can easily warp on the roof rack etc., severely affecting performance. NOTE-Not all poly boats are the same. Most American manufactured boats are soft, drill a hole where ever there is hardware installed, use cheap foam bulheads, and the hatch rims are rotomolded also, so hatches leak with the expansion and contraction of the rim.

Some British manufacturers, like Valley, use a 3 layer poly, with a foam core sandwiched between poly layers. The result is a much stiffer plastic, less suseptable to warping. Hatch rims are also a separate polycarbonate rims, so no expansion and contraction. Bulkheads are also polycarbonate, so much stiffer & stronger. The receiving end of all hardware is molded in rather than drilled through, so there are not as many leaks as those drilled through.

Thermoformed plastic (Eddyline, Delta, etc.) is priced inbetween polyethylene and fiberglass. It's lighter weight than poly, and sometimes glass, but not as impact resistant as poly, and harder to repair than glass. Thermoformed boats don't lose their shape, but sacrifice rigidity for weight savings.

Fiberglass works two ways. You can either save weight and have a less durable boat, or you can have a sea kayak built like a ski boat and weigh 60# like my NDK Explorer. The deal with glass is that it is rigid, holds it's lines, is more durable than thermoformed, and can easily be repaired in the field. I can get glass cloth and epoxy at any hardware store. It's affordable and easy to do. My NDK is what I call a lifetime boat. It is the last sea kayak I will ever buy because it's made well, I can keep it alive, even if I break it in two.

Poly and thermoformed boats are suseptable to UV breakdown, and live only 10-15 years.

That being said, I really want a Poly Valley Avocet for surf and rock gardens. Although I can repair my glass explorer, I don't necessarily want to crash it. A Poly boat will take rocks and beatings better, and costs less so you don't feel quite as bad.

It really just depends on what works best for you. If you plan on doing over night ocean touring, I'd look at glass, If it's rock gardening/surfing/cost that's important, get poly. If it's weight, get thermoformed. Don't even look at kevlar and carbon. It's expensive, doesn't save that much weight over glass, and is hard and expensive to repair.

Thanks for the input... after seeing the vids of guys beating on thermoformed hulls (think it is a delta vid) they seem like they can really take a beating and I know eddyline has a great rep, at least I never have heard anything bad. That being said, always looking for input from guys a little more in the know.

Jack