Delta Kayaks uses thermoformed plastic to build a wide range of boats. In case you've been out of the market lately or stranded on some West Coast island happily paddling away in your old glass or poly boat there's a new player in town for kayak construction materials. While there are lots of companies thermoforming kayaks, or at least trying, Delta has been the leader of the pack for some time. Thermoforming kayaks can be tricky but the guys at Delta have it dialed in. The fit and finish of their boats is better than any other thermoformed boats I've seen. That's probably why we use Delta almost exclusively for thermoformed boats.
To give you a quick idea about thermoformed kayaks, they come in somewhere between the price of fiberglass and polyurethane boats but are closer to the weight of glass boats. They're tougher than glass - we have yet to have one come back to us with damage actually sustained while the boat was being paddled and not transported. If you're looking for a boat you can back over with your truck on a regular basis then poly may be a better choice, however the icing on the cake with thermoformed boats is really the extra stiffness the material offers. Stiffness translates to efficient and responsive, something we're all looking for in a boat no matter your skill level.
So back to Delta's new rec boat. . . after a quick paddle by WCK owner and avid canoeist Marlin Bayes, and employee Laura Demers (Delta's favorite test paddler) it's quite obvious Delta's new rec boat will be a big hit. While the pictures show that Marlin would still rather be in a canoe he was very impressed with the speed and tracking of the new ten footer. Laura's first comments were also about the boat's great tracking. With over 35 years in the industry Marlin said it may be one of the fastest and straightest tracking ten footers he has ever paddled.
How did Delta manage to achive all this speed, tracking and stability in a ten foot boat? They used the same hull design that their new floating fish slaughtering platform the "Cat Fish" uses. The design is by no means a new one but it is newish to the kayaking industry. The Cat Fish and Ten Footer use a twin hull design that allows for a wide stance without a super wide foot print on the water to slow it down.
Like all of Delta's other boats the new rec boat offers a roomy, comfortable fit. While this boat won't be available for a few months rest assured we will have a good supply of them and even a demo for you to come try out.
Thanks to Delta Kayaks for yet again coming up with something exciting and new.
Ryan
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