Once the standard for crafting competition and leisure kayaks, composites have spent over 35 years overshadowed by the rise of plastic boats. Yet, in the past decade, a resurgence is underway, with new players entering the market and some brands focusing exclusively on composite designs. More and more boutique-style brands are emerging, often small, family-run businesses emphasising artistry, authenticity, and passion-driven design. Are we witnessing a turning point in kayaking, or will plastic continue to dominate the market?
The Competitive Edge of Composite Boats
When we think of composite boats, we often associate them with high-performance and competitive paddling. Carbon and fibreglass kayaks are renowned for their competitive advantages, being lighter and more responsive than their plastic counterparts. However, the benefits of composite boats extend far beyond the world of elite paddling. Their lightweight design makes them an excellent choice for paddlers looking to conserve energy, whether carrying the boat or paddling long distances. This reduced weight enhances accessibility, making the sport more inclusive for children, older paddlers, or those with disabilities, for whom shedding a few fewer kilos can make a significant difference.
Stephen Wright, owner and boat builder at Dreamboats Kayaks, shares:
“Composite boats are so fun! Lighter, stiffer boats are a dream to paddle. For someone who wants to maximise their fun while playboating or paddle on deeper rivers, there’s nothing like the feel of a carbon composite boat.”
The advantages carbon boats offer might help attract new paddlers into kayaking, or encourage those who’ve stepped away from the sport to return. As Eric “EJ” Jackson highlighted at last year’s Paddle Sports Show, many former paddlers are eager to return to the water. While they may still have old gear at home, it does not mean they want—or can—use it. Beyond social support like lessons or peer paddling groups, these paddlers need equipment suited to their current abilities. EJ believes carbon boats are key to removing these hurdles, making it easier for them to return to finding joy on the water self-sufficiently. These paddlers are looking for boats that they can paddle comfortably without fatigue and easily load onto their car without needing help.
Composites in Different Kayaking Disciplines
Composites are already well-established in some disciplines, like sea kayaking or canoeing. For example, composite sea kayaks have a solid presence in the leisure market, with brands like P&H and Lettmann catering to this demand. However, in areas like whitewater kayaking or fishing, where EJ’s Apex Watercraft is focusing, composites represent a largely untapped opportunity.
Composite boats not only offer a unique experience on the water and improve accessibility, but they also provide unmatched opportunities for personalisation. Manufacturers can customise features such as shape, volume, colour, artwork, seat placement, and outfitting to meet the specific preferences and needs of individual paddlers. Ed Skrzypkowski from Murky Waters highlights the flexibility of composite manufacturing, noting that almost 50% of the kayaks they produce have altered volume compared to the original plastic version. Guillaume Respaud of Guiguiprod also exemplifies this with his freestyle kayaks featuring stunning, one-of-a-kind artworks. This reflects the growing appeal of owning a boat that fits perfectly and stands out with its unique style.
The Future of Composites in the Kayak Market
Should we expect composites to take over the plastic market? Before attempting to answer this question, it is worth remembering that composite materials once dominated the market long before plastic came into play. Early kayaks were crafted with wooden frames covered in waterproof canvas or rubber, and by the 1950s, fibreglass emerged as a transformative material. It revolutionised production methods, making composite boats the standard until the introduction of roto-moulded polyethylene a few decades later. But even today, plastic and carbon are not as far apart as they may seem. Many mass-produced plastic kayaks still begin as composite prototypes, allowing brands to refine their designs before large-scale plastic production.
Nevertheless, despite their many advantages, composite boats come with notable trade-offs. First, they are expensive. Their labor-intensive production process—each boat handcrafted in a mould with materials like carbon, Kevlar, and resin—significantly increases their cost, positioning them as premium products. Additionally, their lower resistance to impact makes them prone to cracking, especially in rocky rivers or during heavy use. Composite boats also require more maintenance, which can be a drawback.
When plastic boats were first introduced, they revolutionised whitewater paddling by allowing paddlers to go over rocks instead of needing to manoeuvre around them. Their ability to be mass-produced, stored more easily, and shipped with less concern made them a practical choice for a wide range of users. This is still the case today. Their affordability and durability enable clubs, leisure centres, and rental facilities to offer kayaks to a broad audience, which remains unrealistic with carbon boats.
The Hybrid Approach: Blending Carbon and Plastic
However, collaborations between brands, both recent and historic, demonstrate that there is still vast potential in blending the strengths of both plastic and carbon. First, plastic boats are frequently translated into carbon models, allowing brands to adapt their proven plastic shapes into high-performance composite versions. But those partnerships can also be reversed. Last year, Pyranha and Guiguiprod teamed up to adapt Guigui’s Helectron into a plastic model, making a high-performance freestyle shape more accessible. Similarly, Exo mass-produced Guigui’s Helixir a few years earlier. These collaborations benefit both sides: small-scale carbon manufacturers can bring innovative designs to a broader market, while larger plastic brands can reduce R&D costs and (re)explore niche markets without the risks of designing entirely new models.
Hybrid designs that combine plastic and composite elements also provide another way to harness the advantages of both materials, hitting a balance between performance and cost-effectiveness. For example, carbon outfitting can reduce weight, improve rigidity, and allow for more customisation without requiring a composite hull. With the inclusion of kayak cross in the Olympic Games, the adoption of carbon outfitting in whitewater designs is likely to grow, catering to the evolving needs of competitive and non-competitive paddlers alike.
Conclusion
The answer is clear: carbon boats are not expected to dominate the market anytime soon. Plastic kayaks, with their affordability, durability, and mass production, will remain the backbone of the sport, ensuring kayaking stays accessible to the widest range of paddlers. But composite boats can address needs that plastic production cannot yet fully satisfy. By enabling lighter designs, they make the sport more accessible while enhancing competitive performance and offering personalised designs. Though they may never replace plastic, innovation and collaboration in composite manufacturing are opening the sport to new paddlers and offering exciting ways to explore the water.
