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03/11/2020 07:37PM |
I did pick up the Fox in ToughStuff due to the dealer swearing it would be ok in our local rivers and creeks and the fact they cut me a deal on it. I got to talking to NovaCraft on FB after I bought it and they said I shouldn't have any structure issues with it for that purpose but to expect for the gel coat to get scratched and if hit repetitively hard enough it could chip the get coat. So now I am on the fense of what to do with it. Either just use it in our rivers and creeks knowing that it will get scratched, save it for if the wife ever wants to paddle a canoe in deeper water with me, or put it up for sale before I put it on the water.
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02/15/2020 09:44AM |
fadersup: " Watch this. "
Well, that was amusing and a fun, non-standard way of testing. An alternative material meant to replace Royalex is T-Formex
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03/11/2020 07:42AM |
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02/15/2020 03:07PM |
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02/15/2020 03:15PM |
fadersup: " Watch this. "
WOW!
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02/15/2020 04:20PM |
tuffstuff weighs about the same as Wenonah's toughweave,
tuffstuff is said to be a mix of rock (basalt) and poly, no really, that's what they claim
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02/15/2020 04:23PM |
LittoralZone: "fadersup: " Watch this. "
The canoe in this video is TuffStuff Expedition, much heavier.
Last spring I purchased a Nova Craft PAL in TuffStuff for its claimed strength and durability. I took out the stern seat and paddled it solo from the bow seat on my 13 day Q trip. I do like the on the water performance of the canoe and it fits my tripping style.
The TuffStuff layup on the other hand, I have a few issues:
When I got the canoe home from the retailer and looked it over much more closer I noticed chip-outs and cracks in the gelcoat where the eyebolt comes through the hull on one end.
Returning home from the Q trip I noticed cracks in the gelcoat on the port side hull just forward of centerline, and the cracks penetrate the hull to the inside. Fibers can be seen where the skin coat has chipped off. The only thing I can think of is that when I took the canoe off my shoulders, I always dropped it onto my thighs before setting it down, and maybe the repeated light impacts on my thighs caused this damage. The canoe took NO impacts during the trip.
I contacted Nova Craft about this and they referred me to deal with the retailer on these matters. I contacted the retailer and NEITHER have got back to me. I probably wont ever purchase another thing from either. I'm now looking at a few hundred bucks in kits to repair it, after 1 trip. Thinking I should've got the Souris River Quetico 16 in kevlar.
singlebladecanoe, go with an ABS plastic over "TuffStuff". JMO."
You're saying the retailer sold you the canoe as new but it had that level of damage off the lot? If you're positive, I would get someone in charge on the phone and give them one more chance to do the right thing before proceeding to blast them on every site I could. Total BS.
I'm thinking they bought it from Nova Craft as a blem and should have been selling it as such.
Question: what's with the eye bolt? I've never seen that on a canoe.
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02/15/2020 04:53PM |
That's what I was wondering?
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02/18/2020 06:34PM |
fadersup: "I stand corrected. Seems a bit strange but I'm no expert. "
I agree. They threw me for a loop when I first saw them.
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02/14/2020 06:58PM |
fadersup: " Watch this. "
I have tears running down my face and my stomach hurts from laughing so hard. That was crazy!
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02/16/2020 08:48AM |
The noise carried across the whole sales floor on a regular basis all 3 days!I personally feel it's overkill for a canoe. But then have run e-glass composite canoes thru a lot of rocks without worry. The polyvinyl gel-coat scratches the same and base construction is flexible. I sure do not toss my canoes down stairs and onto rocks.
butthead
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03/11/2020 05:53AM |
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02/16/2020 03:49PM |
fadersup: "I have a NC prospector and I purchased it new from a retailer in upstate NY, had it shipped to the Midwest. Likely the same outfit.
I agree with your not mentioning their name but if you feel like you've been handed a raw deal and they don't respond, I don't see a problem calling them out. Personally I would be more aggressive in trying to get management on the phone, sometimes complaints get lost and a lack of response is simply a mistake.
I've spent a lot of time drooling over various Nova Craft hulls, the eye bolt thing is definitely not standard issue. Good luck to you on this.
"
The Nova Craft Fox 14 my local dealer has, has the eye bolts bow and stern. They told me it was a new standard on their canoes for painters.
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02/15/2020 08:59AM |
fadersup: " Watch this. "
Kids these days!
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02/15/2020 01:34PM |
fadersup: " Watch this. "
The canoe in this video is TuffStuff Expedition, much heavier.
Last spring I purchased a Nova Craft PAL in TuffStuff for its claimed strength and durability. I took out the stern seat and paddled it solo from the bow seat on my 13 day Q trip. I do like the on the water performance of the canoe and it fits my tripping style.
The TuffStuff layup on the other hand, I have a few issues:
When I got the canoe home from the retailer and looked it over much more closer I noticed chip-outs and cracks in the gelcoat where the eyebolt comes through the hull on one end.
Returning home from the Q trip I noticed cracks in the gelcoat on the port side hull just forward of centerline, and the cracks penetrate the hull to the inside. Fibers can be seen where the skin coat has chipped off. The only thing I can think of is that when I took the canoe off my shoulders, I always dropped it onto my thighs before setting it down, and maybe the repeated light impacts on my thighs caused this damage. The canoe took NO impacts during the trip.
I contacted Nova Craft about this and they referred me to deal with the retailer on these matters. I contacted the retailer and NEITHER have got back to me. I probably wont ever purchase another thing from either. I'm now looking at a few hundred bucks in kits to repair it, after 1 trip. Thinking I should've got the Souris River Quetico 16 in kevlar.
singlebladecanoe, go with an ABS plastic over "TuffStuff". JMO.
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02/14/2020 05:25PM |
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02/16/2020 02:44PM |
I agree with your not mentioning their name but if you feel like you've been handed a raw deal and they don't respond, I don't see a problem calling them out. Personally I would be more aggressive in trying to get management on the phone, sometimes complaints get lost and a lack of response is simply a mistake.
I've spent a lot of time drooling over various Nova Craft hulls, the eye bolt thing is definitely not standard issue. Good luck to you on this.
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02/16/2020 08:40PM |
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02/17/2020 05:23PM |
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03/10/2020 07:38PM |
Thanks singlebladecanoe, this post was good in that it prompted me to get back in contact with the other parties, I had kind of got busy with other things and put it on the back burner for to long. I re-emailed the retailer and Nova Craft with my problems, the retailer said they "did not think" my original email "ever got thru". Well, after several emails back and forth and Nova Craft personnel getting involved, I finally spoke with Steve Procunier, Dealer and Outfitter Sales Manager at Nova Craft Canoe, and in a little over a month from now I am getting a new canoe, they're going to replace the canoe and may also be delivering it to my home. I truly am shocked and surprised by this. I was hoping at best that maybe I'd get the repair kits for free, but a replacement canoe, WOW! I was almost speechless when Steve told me. They never even really questioned my story or pictures, I guess they want to examine the canoe. I'm thankful now that I never did really bad-mouth them. What can I say now, other than WOW! They stand behind their warranty.
singlebladecanoe, so what did you decide? I now can't say enough about Nova Craft, though for river tripping/fishing I still would go with one of their SP3 roto-molded polyethylene hulls. Still JMO.
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02/16/2020 01:46PM |
fadersup, No, I'm not saying the retailer knowingly sold me a damaged canoe. I had to look closely to see the cracks around the one eye bolt and loosen it to see the chips. But, you never know. The retailer is in up-state NY, near Lake Ontario, and it's pretty much a day's drive up and back for me from here in PA. Since I'm so far away, maybe they thought they'd never hear from me again...
Not sure what you mean by - "I would get someone in charge on the phone and give them one more chance to do the right thing before proceeding to blast them on every site I could. Total BS." Are you saying that's what you'd do, or that's what I'm doing? This is the first and only time I've posted about this. I didn't mention the retailer's name or "blast" either party, other than saying I wont purchase from either again. Like I said, I've contacted them (and Nova Craft) and gave them a chance.
When I contacted Nova Craft I gave them the serial number and they never said if it was a blem or not. And I hadn't even thought of that. I'll contact Nova Craft again and see if they'll give me an answer on that. We'll see...
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02/14/2020 03:02PM |
Pros: Stiff, no foam, easy to repair. Very durable, hit a few pointed granite rocks and no major damage. After a couple years there a few fibers you can feel, but has held up remarkably well. Allows for "better" canoe shape/design then Royalex. Easy to repair.
Cons: This is subjective, but I don't think it "slips" over rocks like Royalex does. While the bottom of my royalex canoe is scratched, it is at a surface level, while the IXP, which is only two years old, has worn to the first layer of cloth in a few places.
Bottom line is I think it will hold up very well with minor maintenance. As it starts to wear through the resin, just sand and add a few coats.
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02/14/2020 07:08AM |