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Nova Craft Tough Stuff - Ha!

Paddlinhal

Paddlinhal

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So check out this video. If it's so tough, why did the guy have to cheat? Look at that tiny little bite of the second sample between the vise and the vise grip. The section being bent had to be 20% longer. Then he pulled on the first one to put all the pressure at the fold line in the vise. Second one, nice even bending. I'd like to see that done over, Mr. Nova Craft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JYXMpA19sI&t=98s&authuser=0
 
I only see a hammer test on the hull from that link. Not a Nova Craft fan, but I would hate to see that hammer test applied to my Wenonah Ultralight!
 
Paddlinhal said:
So check out this video. If it's so tough, why did the guy have to cheat? Look at that tiny little bite of the second sample between the vise and the vise grip. The section being bent had to be 20% longer. Then he pulled on the first one to put all the pressure at the fold line in the vise. Second one, nice even bending. I'd like to see that done over, Mr. Nova Craft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JYXMpA19sI&t=98s&authuser=0
Click to expand...

Yeah, I see what you are talking about at the beginning of the video (before the hammer tests). Definitely not apples to apples.
 
I'd like to see something like a fully loaded boat hitting a piece of sunken re-bar in fast water and going over a 2-3 foot drop onto a rock and then maybe getting pinned on an obstacle. With my canoes I do not plan to cut out a test sample and bend it in a vise or drop an empty canoe off a building.
 
I have no dog in this fight, but if you haven't seen it already watch these guys take a tuffstuff boat out and wrap it on purpose (around 10:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXsXRcRgD6Q

I do wonder about the layup in the first sample. Kevlar has a lot of tensile strength, and if it tears that easily along the fixed vice crease I wonder if it hasn't been hobbled by too much gelcoat and/or low grade glass. Think of how hard it is to cut one layer of dry kevlar with good shears.
 
I think I read that st.regis outfitters in the ADKs is going to use this novacraft layup for their rentals to replace the royalex ones--that says a lot
 
I had to go to the Nova Craft website to see the video you are discussing. Like Swift's carbon gunnel stress test, this makes for good marketing, but real world testing would be more compelling for folks that know the difference.
 
I've used the regular tuff stuff layup for a few years. It's ok, not super light by any means. The 16 foot prospector is about 54 pounds. In terms of durability, it is not as forgiving as royalex, but you would have to work hard to destroy it. The expedition layup is just stupid heavy, but pretty solid.
 
memaquay said:
I've used the regular tuff stuff layup for a few years. It's ok, not super light by any means. The 16 foot prospector is about 54 pounds. In terms of durability, it is not as forgiving as royalex, but you would have to work hard to destroy it. The expedition layup is just stupid heavy, but pretty solid.
Click to expand...

54lbs ain’t bad for a 16 foot prospector when you think that the esquif canyon is well over 70lbs(close to 80 in real life) for a similar size boat!!
 
goonstroke said:
I have no dog in this fight, but if you haven't seen it already watch these guys take a tuffstuff boat out and wrap it on purpose (around 10:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXsXRcRgD6Q

I do wonder about the layup in the first sample. Kevlar has a lot of tensile strength, and if it tears that easily along the fixed vice crease I wonder if it hasn't been hobbled by too much gelcoat and/or low grade glass. Think of how hard it is to cut one layer of dry kevlar with good shears.
Click to expand...

That's a more convincing video. Nice how it pops back into shape after being wrapped.
 
It took me three attempts to make it all the way through. Such abuse. All in the name of science I suppose. Painful to watch though.
Impressive material for sure.
 
Mason said:
Yeah, that was Old Town with their Oltonar (proprietary Royalex).
Click to expand...

Thread drift: I just recently came across a used OT Tripper in Oltonar that a friend asked me to look at for him (it sold before I got the chance). But it made me wonder if there was difference (beyond the name) between Oltonar and Royalex. Anybody know?
 
My memory/understanding was that the different canoe manufacturers had proprietary layups of Royalex. Royalex is a sandwich, and the components can be adjusted (e.g. thicker ABS layer, thinner foam core, etc.) to the needs of the end manufacturer. I've had two OT Penobscots, and the Royalex layups were quite different--one was probably 10# lighter than the other. My Mad River appears to have a thicker layup than the second Penobscot. But they all were Royalex.
 
What I know about canoe design and materials wouldn't fill a tea cup but that doesn't stop me from hankering for a few choice models. In particular a NC Pal or Bob in the Tuffstuff or Blue Steel layup would be super nice. I have a favourite daydream in which one of these falls off a trailered delivery load, and no matter how much I "try" I just can't seem to catch them up to return their lost canoe baby. Oh well, might as well adopt it and take it home, just for a while. Oh, and chapter 2 of this bliss is that the folks from NC, really nice they are in my daydream, contact me to say I can keep the canoe gratis and gratuit, it being a little scuffed up and all. Canoes don't feature in all my daydreams, just the good ones.
 
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