I might as well throw my two cents in. "Kevlar" canoes and kayaks will nearly always also use some other material, like fiberglass, to make up for the weaknesses of kevlar. Kevlar is rarely, if ever, the outermost layer in a layup. It isn't as strong in compression as it is in tension. It also fuzzez bad when it abrades, making repairs a little more difficult and not as attractive. Fiberglass abrades smooth and is better under compressive loads than tensile loads. That's why it is nearly always the outermost layer on a "kevlar" boat. I would suggest reading: Boat Builders Manual by Charles Walbridge - lots of good composite boat info.

> The following is from an article in The Oregonian from April 7 titled
> "It's time to water-test new kayaks and canoes" It was on the
> web site, I suppose it was probably in the print version too.

> "Kevlar is a lightweight resin composite substance five times
> stronger than steel and 20 percent lighter than fiberglass."

> Is Kevlar really that strong?

> Chris