Dropping a Canoe 100 feet – New TuffStuff by Nova Craft Canoe
9 Jan
Hold your breath as our friends at Canada’s premier canoe-maker Nova Craft drops a gorgeous new canoe 100 feet to see if it would survive and still be seaworthy.
Here’s what they say about it:
“To further test the strength of our newest composite canoe material, TuffStuff Expedition, we decided to drop a canoe from the roof of our warehouse. The canoe fell 100’ and survived! While it sustained some damage the hull was still very strong and we took it for a paddle right after the drop. Catastrophic punishment and still strong. That’s TuffStuff!”
Why did they do it? To demonstrate their new composite material ‘TuffStuff’ – Nova Craft’s replacement for the popular Royalex material which is being discontinued.
What is TuffStuff made of and what will it offer a paddler?
“Beyond strength, TuffStuff canoes offer other advantages over conventional thermoformed plastic canoes. They are much stiffer, which leads to greatly improved performance and efficiency. Easy glide motion and faster response are evident after only a few paddle strokes. TuffStuff is also lighter than conventional plastic boats. The Nova Craft Prospector 16′ weighs only 54 lbs in our standard TuffStuff model and the whitewater ready TuffStuff Expedition model weighs only 59 lbs, making it easy to paddle and portage. TuffStuff canoes are now in full production and are available in 10 different models.
Basalt fibre is made of melted basalt rock and Innegra is a fiber consisting mostly of polypropylene. Neither material on its own would provide the necessary durability required, but when they are woven together into a cloth the resulting strength is simply amazing. Innegra is also hydrophobic meaning it doesn’t absorb moisture, which is a big plus in paddlesports.”
Stay tuned for more on new canoes and canoe materials.
