Old Town Pack Element & T-Formex speculation

[Magnus919]

Around 4 years ago, Old Town started showing off a new play on its 11 foot Pack canoe. The "Pack Element" will look an awful lot like the current Old Town Next. But unlike the 13 foot Next, the Pack Element was 11 feet long. The Pack that it was based on was said to weigh 33 pounds in Royalex. Not bad for a sub $1000 boat! But we all know what happened to Royalex... The Pack Element never quite made it to market as planned in 2014.

Enter T-Formex. Esquif is making more sheets than it can consume for its own boat production. Wenonah is starting to take up some of that surplus, and I wouldn't be surprised if Old Town followed.

Could the Pack mold come out of storage? Could we see Old Town revisit the Pack Element, possibly replacing the Next entirely with a sub-40 pound boat at entry level prices?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssbSYOgIbQc

 

[Canotrouge]

One thing to keep in mind, is that boat made out of Tformex(i.e. Canyon by Esquif) is heavier than the one made out of RX... IT was supposed to be lighter when they started to promote the stuff a few years back. So a sub 40 pounds canoe made out of Tformex would need to be a really small canoe!!

 

[Magnus919]

One thing to keep in mind, is that boat made out of Tformex(i.e. Canyon by Esquif) is heavier than the one made out of RX... IT was supposed to be lighter when they started to promote the stuff a few years back. So a sub 40 pounds canoe made out of Tformex would need to be a really small canoe!!

True. We know T-Formex is out there on the market. But I don't really see it putting a dent in things yet. The big manufacturers aren't yet really doing a lot yet. Makes me wonder if Esquif can't produce enough of it to make its use worthwhile, or if it's not consistently meeting quality controls... or maybe the cost of it just doesn't compare well to other options.

 

[Canotrouge]

Maybe all of it really!!

 

[Magnus919]

No Title

Apparently Old Town isn't getting in on T-Formex. (link)

We aren't presently looking at T-formex. We did when it first came out but due to costs and forming issues we didn't see it paying off. The market on light and more expensive canoes seems to have slowed.

 

[gumpus]

Buy the Peregrine. It will keep your puppies safe. It will appreciate in value. You can nap in it.

 

[Canotrouge]

Apparently Old Town isn't getting in on T-Formex. (link)

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I thought so... It will be interesting to see in a few years how it holds up and how consistent the hulls will be from boats to boats!

 

[Magnus919]

Buy the Peregrine. It will keep your puppies safe. It will appreciate in value. You can nap in it.

True, that! But it looks like his & hers RapidFires are in our future. It's not a small deal at all, and I don't have $$ growing out of my nose, so I'm gonna stay on the narrow path that gets me there.

 

[pblanc]

It appears that Nova Craft is not jumping on the T-Formex bandwagon as yet either, despite initially expressing interest for it. At least, the website does not list it as a material option. It would be a natural choice for their very popular Ocoee and Moisie whitewater boats and their Prospectors. Does anyone on this forum have first hand experience with a T-Formex boat as yet?

Which model(s) is Wenonah offering in T-Formex?

 

[Canotrouge]

It appears that Nova Craft is not jumping on the T-Formex bandwagon as yet either, despite initially expressing interest for it. At least, the website does not list it as a material option. It would be a natural choice for their very popular Ocoee and Moisie whitewater boats and their Prospectors. Does anyone on this forum have first hand experience with a T-Formex boat as yet?

Which model(s) is Wenonah offering in T-Formex?

A friend of a friend bought a Canyon in T-formex I didn't see it yet... But I will at some point.... I've paddled a few canyon in RX(some new ones) and all of them had really soft bottoms sitting in the water with only 2 paddlers, the bottom would come in(oil canning).... Never been a fan of that model!

 

[Guest]

Which model(s) is Wenonah offering in T-Formex?

FWIW

https://www.rapidmedia.com/canoeroo...ufacturing-best-selling-spirit-ii-in-t-formex