Esquif Raven

[sbroam]

I think I've bought my last Royalex boat. Say what you will about aging plastic, but through an admittedly bone headed move of my own, I managed to drop our ME from my garage rafter racks (12'+ from the concrete deck), upside down right onto the pointy end where the gunwales and deck come together. Aside from a very loud noise and me being scared, uh, "significantly" the only damage was that the last 2" of the deck snapped and I think that may have been because I didn't have the last two screws in. Otherwise, no cracks, no dents, nuttin'. This boat is getting semiregular use on our local run with my kids and it is holding up very well. Not bad at all for a 20 year old boat that was left outside for almost 10 years. What I've seen in the last 5 years or more does not impress me.

[jscottl67]

Wow!! That is insane. I just watched the video with the sound turned on for the first time - crazy the difference in flex. With the sound you could tell how hard you were really kicking the old boat.

Maybe you should outfit it with memory foam 'cause my mattress is stiffer than that thing.

[fleckbass]

Wow! Just watched the vid. My boat flexes on the bottom in front of the saddle but nothing like that!

[fleckbass]

After I looked at the Video again, I'm gonna have to check my boat. Maybe it is that bad.

[klund]

Just watched that video, that's horrid!! I think I'm done with royalex boats too - at least until the manufacturers can come up with a solution to the crappy royalex.

[Louie]

they have ome up with an answer. Shorter boats made out of plastic yano tupperware

[sbroam]

Bingo. Tupperware for small, composite for large.