Kayak Layups Explained

At Current Designs we offer a variety of combinations of composite material in our custom kayaks, called layups, in order to create the best possible kayaking experience for a wide range of paddlers. Different kayakers have different needs from their boats, and these options ensure that you can achieve the best balance of durability, weight, and price for you. Read more below to learn about each layup, and what it's best suited for.

Fiberglass

The standard for a reason. Fiberglass is the standard option from a variety of brands and used in all sorts of composites even outside of paddlesports. It is relatively light, tough, and can be easily repaired and sanded smooth without specialized equipment or tooling. Being the older composite material on the market, it's also the least expensive. This is great for paddlers on a budget, but also folks who want something simple to repair, expecting to take its share of dings and scratches. It is a relatively clear/cloudy material, so it isn't suitable for clear gel coat options on hulls. Fiberglass kayaks tend to land at 52-54 lbs, depending on model.

Aramid

Aramid (essentially a generic name for Kevlar), is a fantastic material that offers better strength-to-weight properties than Fiberglass. Well known for many years as the primary option for saving weight in canoes and kayaks, it offers a great option for performance paddlers looking for a kayak that is easier to carry and responds more readily in the water. Because it's built as a lighter-weight layup, it is a little more delicate than Fiberglass, and a bit more expensive. While damage to the aramid can still be patched, aramid can't really be sanded smooth, so typically folks will use a fiberglass patch to repair it. Aramid layups tend to land at or just under 50 lbs, depending on model.

Heavy Water (Basalt Innegra)

Built for kayakers looking to handle anything, the new Basalt Innegra Heavy Water layup is designed to take an absolute beating. Prior versions of the Heavy Water layup simply added more layers of fiberglass, whereas the new layup incorporates Basalt Innegra. Basalt Innegra is a combination material, combining Basalt (volcanic rock cut to slim fibers to be woven), and Innegra (a plastic-like material designed for extreme toughness for use in kayaks), together offering an extremely abrasion and impact resitant material. Paddlers will take Heavy Water layups into the roughest seas, hard rocky beach landings, and even rock gardening. With this layup, the kayaker should give up before the kayak. A bit more expensive than Aramid, this is also our heaviest layup (while still landing slightly lighter than the older Fiberglass Heavy Water layup), typically landing around 60 lbs.. Plan to carry with a friend.

Lightweight (Carbon Innegra)

The newest layup in our lineup, we set out to create a composite layup that would still offer excellent all-weather performance and toughness, while saving additional weight compared to our Aramid layup. Carbon Innegra is perfect for this use. Carbon Fiber is of course very rigid and offers great strength to weight ratio, and the above-mentioned innegra blends great toughness, offsetting some of the brittleness that can come from using carbon fiber alone. The result is a kayak that responds effortlessly in the water, is easy to accelerate, and much easier to carry, weighing around 45 lbs depending on model. This is a great high-performance kayak, but also an excellent option to get smaller or older paddlers on the water without the burden of a heavier boat. The trade-off here is cost, with carbon innegra being our most expensive composite option.