Actually Posted by: pblanc on Dec-19-12 8:40 PM (EST)
many modern high-end whitewater canoes designed for creeking are now made of solid polyethylene. These include the Blackfly Option, Ion, and Octane and the Esquif L'Edge, Spanish Fly, and Prelude. Solid poly works quite well for these boats since they are relatively short and most of them are partially decked. The foam core of three layer poly construction does add stiffness, but the inner and outer solid layers are pretty thin and it is quite possible to wear into the foam core with the repeated abrasion that comes with hard use. Boats made from solid high density linear polyethylene can also be repaired when cracked using thermal welding. Repair of three layer poly boats is more problematical, so there are trade-offs with either construction method.