Royalex, the tough and forgiving plastic material that has become a standard with canoe manufacturers everywhere, is no more. They stopped making it a year ago, and the canoes for sale now are the final ones that will be available. There will be Royalex boats available used for the foreseeable future because it’s so tough and long-lasting, but this is apparently it for new boats.

With this in mind, we’re expanding our fleet of boats this year with several new Nova Craft Prospectors, bringing our total of wood canvas and Royalex boats to 12. We’re adding eighteen footers, which have been the backbone of our canoe fleet for the past twelve years, and sixteen footers, which will be the smallest boats in our fleet, but will be great for learning how to lift and carry because of their lighter weight.

I’m a firm believer in people learning to handle a boat solo. There’s nowhere to hide, no one else to blame, and while tougher at first, allows for learning the art of canoeing to a much higher degree. Having more boats means fewer tandems, although we’ll always have at least one or two tandems in case of accident or injury.

We’re excited about the new arrivals, who should be at the field school in mid-May.