life span of boat

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Mtn paddler
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life span of boat

Post by Mtn paddler » Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:27 pm

New Guy here,

I have several Kayaks and am looking for a Canoe. I found a 2002 Blue Hole Prowler for sale by the original owner, " maybe in the water 6 times over the years". kept inside . My concern is the material that the boat is made of. Even thought it looks brand new, and it had been lightly used and stored inside. Can there still be unseen issues? internal delamination? Etc. It is 13 years old.
I am wanting to use the boat for lake paddling, Ever Glades National park, maybe another trip or two to the BWCA. I know there are lighter boats but that does not concern me. Most of the articles I can find on this boat say its great for white water. I have no desire to white water just lakes and large slow moving rivers. will it work for that?

thanks in advance, i have enjoyed reading this forum..

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kru1
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Re: life span of boat

Post by kru1 » Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:07 pm

I have never seen any internal issue, if it wasn't obvious by looking at it. Sounds like your boat has passed the eye test. Storing it inside is key cause the UV can hurt it. I'm sure that there are many others out there that have a lot more experience with the things then myself.

Blue Holes are great boats, I've got one of the next "best" things in a Buffalo.

I shudder at the thought of portaging a Blue Hole for some of the longer portages in BWCA.

There are a lot of better boats out there designed for flat water paddling. It has a lot more to do with just the heavy weight on the portage. Tracking, speed, carrying capacity, etc... But if the price is right, you can make anything work.

Where do you like to paddle in the Everglades? Looking for a nice two night trip next week.

kru
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Thomas Hart Benton, on the Buffalo River

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turboturtle
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Re: life span of boat

Post by turboturtle » Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:43 pm

Oh my! I can see problems already. That is just way to much boat for you, Mtn paddler. I think it will get away from you. Too much power you know. :ROFL:
I think you should pm me with the owners name and address so you won't make the same mistake I did. I sold my Blue Hole.
On a lighter note, if that boat has no keel, you will definitely be working your arse off keeping it going strait. If it has any kind of keel, you might do well with it. Heck you can't go wrong buying it either way. If it doesn't work to your advantage, you could always use it to trade or barter for a more desirable hull design. If and when you ever decide to part with it, I would like to be the first one to step up to the plate for purchasing it from you. :poke2:
Enjoy it either way. We're here when you need us! :wave:




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"Get a little every time you go"- Cowper

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Cowper
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Re: life span of boat

Post by Cowper » Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:59 pm

I just want to add +1 to what Kru already said. For the things you want, this boat is not a good choice! Too heavy, too slow. On the other hand, if you've never had the pleasure of paddling a good flatwater boat, then you may be perfectly happy with this boat; all things are relative to your point of reference.

But you've already said you aren't concerned about weight. Since your original question was really about the age, I'll say don't worry about that too much if the boat was stored indoors as stated. I have a blue hole that I bought about 1980, that is just now beginning to show a few hairline cracks, and IMHO none are structurally significant at this time.
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Re: life span of boat

Post by Deuce » Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:08 am

If you want it buy it before someone else does. I think you'll be very happy with it. Might get heavy if the BWCA trips you take involve a lot of portaging, but heck, people have been tripping out of and portaging metal boats for decades. I say go for it, and we'd better see some pics pronto. Good luck!
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Eric Esche
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Re: life span of boat

Post by Eric Esche » Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:15 pm

I would say that the canoe you are looking at should be about brand new if stored inside out of the sunlight and not exposed to any freezing weather in Florida. (Stress cracking from the gunnel attachment points is a problem with some Royalex hulls, particularly those with pop rivited metal or plastic gunnels).

As for the lifetime of a Royalex hull, I have a 1972 Mad River Endurall (yes, I know that they did not go on sale until 1973, but this one belonged to Jim Henry and was one of the boats which he toured around the US with while demonstrating the NEW material Royalex) I've added a full length 2" wide skid plate of Kevlar felt as it was wearing a white stripe down it's centerline, but the hull is still great to go and is my cargo barge for river camping. Admittedly, it is a Mad River, but still going strong after 41 years. It's been through 4 sets of wood gunnels, been stored outside for over 30 years, had up to 1500 pounds loaded in it on Buffalo trips, and been run down the Chattooga over 40 times by me. I may restore my boats to nearly new condition, but I use my boats. I also have 2 Mad River Explorers and a Courier (NONE of which are for sale), and have also owned a Howler and a Dagger Genesis which I never should have sold.

I would have no hesitation of buying an older Royalex boat particularly if I had seen decent pictures of it in advance, but paddle any boat before you buy it if possible. Resale value on Royalex boats will only increase if no one buys the plant or the rights to manufacture Royalex and older Royalex (>10 years) tends to be stronger than the last few years since Spartec bought the business. As to whether this boat is the boat for what you want it for, you will have to determine for yourself. Haven't seen a price mentioned so I do not know if it is a bargain or not. You can call me during the day at 479-721-91zero1 if you want to talk about it.

Eric Esche

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okieboater
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Re: life span of boat

Post by okieboater » Wed Dec 18, 2013 9:51 pm

Having owned Blue Hole OCA and Sunburst, I think they are classic canoes.

As mentioned before, stored inside out of the sun, they tend to last decades.

As far as weight way way back in the day, I made my first BWCA week long trip which left me all sorts of good memories.

Me and a Bud in my Grumman 17 ft square stern with a metal old style cooler. Frozen steaks, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes - you name it. Plenty of good food. We were saying bad things after the first day. Second day reached a big lake and decided it was day trips out of a central island camp to fish.

The portages tho were epic and we did plenty. Two of us did the canoe, then hiked back for the gear.

The next time I went it was with another bud who had a kevlar mad river explorer. And, freeze dry out the yeng yang.

I did the canoe by myself and my bud carried the packs (front and back if you have the old style number 7's) with other stuff in his hands. It was a piece of cake.

Bottom line, going to the BWCA is a real treat. No matter if it is heavy gear or ultra light. It is worth it.

Enjoy that Blue Hole Canoe as it is a classic for sure
Okieboater AKA Dave Reid

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Re: life span of boat

Post by Prairie Tater » Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:06 am

Unfortunately, I think Royalex is a thing of the past. The onslaught of poly recreational kayaks and the less expensive poly layups (Old Town Discovery) has turned the heads of the millions of first time boat buyers who otherwise might have chosen a Royalex canoe. Uniroyal and Spartech have paid the price for this. Can't blame them for saying, "The heck with it!" :thumbdown:

If I had a barn or a large shed to store them, I might spend the next couple of years roaming around the country looking for Royalex canoes that are in decent condition. I would be like the guys on American Pickers, except I'd be pulling a big canoe trailer. I'm sure that there are a lot of Royalex canoes just hanging up in garages and sheds whose owners would be willing to part with. Someone could even make a new hit TV show! :grin:
"Politicians and diapers need to be changed regularly, usually for the same reason." Mark Twain

Mtn paddler
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Re: life span of boat

Post by Mtn paddler » Sun Dec 22, 2013 4:40 pm

Thanks for all of the replies. I have decided to keep looking. I think that a more flat water designed hull will work better for me. Upon looking at options I think I can do better in the area of weight of the boat as well. Currently looking into the Wenonah line up. Thanks again.

JB2012
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Re: life span of boat

Post by JB2012 » Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:20 pm

The Wenonah Rendezvous is a great boat for flat water. It also comes in Kevlar. It tracks well. It is slow and hard to turn in a moving river, but for a lake is a charm.

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