Last Chance to Buy a Royalex Canoe

Building the last of Royalex Canoes at We-no-nah Canoe!

Since the 1970's Royalex has been the go-to material for anyone seeking a relatively lightweight, impact resistant canoe suitable for running rocky rivers. It changed the way people paddled and many traded their old 80-90 pound aluminum canoe for a lighter, easier paddling Royalex model.

Unfortunately, last year the company that produces royalex stopped production of this material. By October of 2014 We-no-nah has run out of sheets for many of their canoe models. We were simply unable to get some of the canoes we wanted for our retail business. Now, just after the first of the year they have no sheets of royalex remaining and only a few dozen models canoes left in their warehouse. Most other manufacturers are likewise out of royalex. We are indeed at the end of the line for royalex canoes.

What comes next is still the big question. Manufacturers need a material that possesses similar qualities, such as impact resistance and long-term durability. Ideally it will be similar in weight and price, while also allowing the use of the old molds.

While most canoe manufacturers wait for the emergence of a new material, several companies are working in-house to produce their own. Two companies who are garnering the most attention are Nova Craft and Esquif.

Nova Craft has developed a material they are calling Tuffstuff. It's a combination of basalt fiber (melted basalt rock) and Innegra fiber, which is mostly polypropylene. These two are woven together to create a highly durable canoe. In fact, they threw one off the top of their warehouse, a distance of almost 100 feet. After the fall they picked it up and went paddling with it. Certainly, this would appear to make it a top candidate for replacing Royalex, although it doesn't appear to be as flexible (bad for slipping over rocks, good for more efficient paddling).

Esquif, a canoe manufacturer in Quebec, is touting another possibile replacement for Royalex. They've set up a factory to produce the new product they are calling T-Formex. Like Royalex this is a layered sandwich consisting of a foam cor, layers of abs plastic, and an undisclosed outer material. New canoes made from T-Formex are supposed to be available in 2015.

While these two options provice hope for a sooner rather than later solution, nothing is yet certain. In the meantime it appears that demand for used royalex canoes will increase as will the asking price. New royalex canoes will soon be impossible to find as retailers sell out. Some retailers may hold onto their stock and rais the price as demand increases. CanoeSport Outfitters is treating them as a discounted model. This means it's time to find them new homes for put them to use! From March 5th-8th we'll be selling all remaining in-stock royalex canoes at 25% off. After this weekend any that remain will be pulled from stock and used as rentals at Lake Ahquabi for the remainder of the season. So, this will be the LAST opportunity to purchase a new royalex canoe at CanoeSport Outfitters! Get them while you still can!

For a list of available models visit our website!