: Here is the link: http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Abrasion.htm

: Bill H.

I remember taking a look at that a while back, and I was never able to find anything about that "Syntex" he is referring to there. Even looking for info on it now I cannot find anything That stuff looks incredible against point impacts. A hard to find fabric does not bode well on the "supply and demand" model however, so I am betting it is pricey.

I've never seen a good test for abrasion more of the variety of scrapes. Just from the "field testing" i've down on my paddle as well as my friends paddles, that Dynel holds up a great deal. Its impact resistance may not be great, but its "scrape" resistance is really tough-

I've been taking your suggestions about the Kevlar to heart, and definitely thinking a layer of Poly between the Kevlar and the wood is going to be the way to go. However, I'm not just trying to add more layers, so it changes the laminate schedule completely. I'm now looking at the following:

~Hull~ (outside to inside)
Dynel (iffy) : S-Glass : Poly : S-Glass : Poly : 4mm Ok : Poly : Kevlar

~Deck~ (outside to inside)
E-Glass : S-Glass : Poly : 4mm Ok : Poly : Kevlar

...I wonder if anyone has ever used that much Poly in a composite kayak lamination schedule? Keep in mind that the Deck with have various reinforcements placed throughout with scraps of Kevlar and S-Glass. The Hull will be as close to Monocoque as I can get it, although I am intending to place an extra scrap layer of S-Glass at the Bow for reinforcement (on the outside)-

I'll be stitching the panels together this weekend, so I'll post pictures of how this thing is coming together~