The torture test to end all torture tests... AFAIK none of this was done under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXsXRcRgD6Q

If you want something for whitewater then look for a Royalex boat. You probably won't find a new one now, but lots still around. If you aren't looking for whitewater,then the Tuffstuff will be fine. 

There's a long thread over on MyCCR that started from that same video. What stuck out for me was that while the canoe was still in one piece at the end, it seemed pretty floppy. It would probably get you home but I'm not sure you would want to start another trip with it. Of course if you aren't planning on wrapping the boat ...

YW Steve... another plus is it's composite construction, so the hull should perform better than the discontinued Royalex which had a reputation for being less efficient than fiberglass, kevlar, etc..

PS... perform better on flatwater, that is... in whitewater, Royalex if you can find it, as Rob said, may still be the better choice for durability.

Last edited by frozentripper (10/09/2015 8:37 am)

Well, I'm not so sure about dragging it across parking lots, but other than that it sounds fairly normal. Of course, once you move to the new canoe and cut 30 - 40 lbs off what you are used to you will probably find that you aren't dragging the new one across as many parking lots as you used to. 

The 16' Novacraft Prospector in the TuffStuff layup is listed as being about 7 lbs heavier than the 16' Swift Prospector in Expedition Kevlar. My Swift Temagami is about 14 years old now and the Expedition Kevlar layup has been holding up just fine. In fact the only chip in the gel coat is from a day at Palmer Rapids when I was introducing the kids to basic S-turns and ferries and couldn't resist trying to make it down the lower section despite the really low water. 

So, I'm sure the TuffStuff would hold up just fine for you, but its probably also overkill and you might want to take the opportunity to shave a few more lbs off the weight.

Rapid has also repeatedly suggested that if it can handle a wrap is an unnecessary question - which is a silly statement to anyone who paddles whitewater - might have to do with the fact that NC gave Rapid a boat and spends money on ads in their magazines. I say this as someone who has only bought 1  new canoe in my life - and bought it from NC in Royalex - I like the company and enjoy reading Canoeroots and Rapid - I just don't put much merit in the reviews of magazines due to the nature of the magazine industry.