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Folks out there with Zephyrs and Sparks, how are they holding up?

Last I heard there were some minor pinhole issues with Twintex that Esquif was addressing, but I haven't heard anything else (a good thing?). Is it holding up on shallow runs? How does it take a hit?

Back when Royalite came out I got the impression that it wasn't particularly tough, maybe not suited for shallow scrapy stuff. The only boat I'm aware of out there currently made from the stuff is the Spark. I can't imagine that they are only being used for slalom...

You might be noticing a theme here - I've got access to stuff that is usually shallow and scrapy...

sbroam wrote:Folks out there with Zephyrs and Sparks, how are they holding up?

Last I heard there were some minor pinhole issues with Twintex that Esquif was addressing, but I haven't heard anything else (a good thing?). Is it holding up on shallow runs? How does it take a hit?

Back when Royalite came out I got the impression that it wasn't particularly tough, maybe not suited for shallow scrapy stuff. The only boat I'm aware of out there currently made from the stuff is the Spark. I can't imagine that they are only being used for slalom...

You might be noticing a theme here - I've got access to stuff that is usually shallow and scrapy...

I don't have one YET...but All I hear from my Esquif rep friends and Zephyr owners is that this Twintex is stronger then Royalex, a few friends have been beating them up pretty good and they're holding really good(man are they light !).

Like all things, the mat'l will eventually fail, we've yet to find a simple way to fix this product though... And being more rigid then Royalex, I don't know how it would recuperate from being wrapped around a rock ??? Hopefully we don't get there...

the Lochsa, the Ocoee, Tellico Ledges, Numbers, Chattooga section IV and pinned it bad twice, once dangerously; all in the last year. The Royalite has plenty of scratches for sure but nothing I'd describe as serious; no dents or crackes at all. I am very pleased thus far. I am also happy with the wood. One thing to watch; in the beginning Esquif used crummy sheet metal screws on the gunwales. These did not hold well. I replaced mine with good copper wood screws and they work fine.

That having been said, I think that Twintex will prove to be the canoe material of the future. It is literally tough as nails. last year at GAF several of us TRIED to break a sheet of it, including hitting it with a balpeen hammer. We failed. Finally a guy broke it by rolling over it with his truck.


I have heard of and believe the tales of pinholes. The reason is that pinholes are likely to be present is that it is almost impossible to totally impregnate the fiber with the plastic. When we are talking "pinholes" I think we mean really teeny holes; ones that we cannot barely see through the boat in a dark basement with a flashlight. This does not bother me at all because the hole I worry about is that big honker on top which I allow to pour water into my boat by the gallon. Whatever water can get in via the pinholes is completely insignificant to the amount I put in with stupid strokes.

The much more serious question with Twintex is what glue will work? If you like bulkheads this is not an issue but I don't. If I had a Zyphyr my inclination would be to build tiedown points out of Kevlar and glass. This has worked successfully in the past. It is more work but it is also a super boat.

Bottom line for me is these (Spark and Zyphyr) are two of the very best open boats ever made.

Chris Kelly

Well I've had my Spark all of a month so we aren't talking about extensive data, but so far it's looking pretty tough. Not much water in the midwest so the runs (all three of them) have been full on bump and scrape fests.

It could be the camo color, but you have to look hard to see scrapes/scratches. Dents and dings are easier to spot and there are a fair number of those. At this point I'm thinking Royalite is not as tough as the R-light (or whatever it is) on my 2002 Rival. (The Rival however has started delaminating in a big way. That provided a great reason for getting the Spark.) I have smacked the Spark pretty hard a few times, and while these collisions did leave dents, they are not out of line for the force of impact.

Going to run a darn near dry stretch tomorrow. I'll let you know how it holds up.

So far I'm really, really happy with the boat. It's working well for me. (Thanks Kaz)

Dave

I am a happy owner of a Zephyr, and I can say that this Twin-Tex material (fibreglas fabric with melted polypropylene plastic) is as tough as nail. I paddle the Elora Gorge and until lately it was around 5cms, which is pretty grindy, and I definitely put her to the test and she only received minor scratches. Now last Sunday I had an unintentional head on collision with the Gorge -- I hit the rockwall so hard I thought for sure that my canoe was done if it wasn't for the thigh straps I would have departed my canoe head first into the rock myself. After a thorough inspection and to my surprise she only received a minor scratch. Yup, the Twin-Tex is as tough as they say and than some. On top of that it is very light, only 38lbs.

My Zephyr has held up very well thru a dry summer paddling the French Broad. Nanty.Ocoee, Locust Fork. Hiwassee (low water). it has scratches. no holes. or soft spots. it did swim thru second helping without me on Ocoee and got scratches on its side. Boofing is harder with less rocker in stern compared to the Ocoee, but the stern is in excellent shape. I have paddled whitewater 2-3 days a week in it since the first of May. The straps and d rings are doing great except 1 4 mm spot on 1 thigh strap.
Great boat. after meeting Dixie Boater on Ocoee, I may widen it an inch to get a little more rocker.