| Kayaks have been made of many different | | | | Once the required temperature is reached |
| materials over the century's from stretched | | | | polypropylene plastic beads are added and the |
| animal hide over a wooden kayak frame as with | | | | mold is enclosed and spun in order to distribute |
| Inuit and Eskimo kayaks to wood kayaks, | | | | the polypropylene beads evenly around the mold. |
| aluminium kayaks, fibre glass kayaks and modern | | | | The kayak mold is then left to cool and the |
| day composite kayaks materials such as carbon | | | | resultant kayak is removed from the mold for |
| and Kevlar kayaks. The most popular and well | | | | finishing buy the kayak maker. Polypropylene is an |
| established of materials used for kayaks | | | | extremely durable and resilient material offering |
| construction is roto-molded plastic. Providing a rigid | | | | the kayaker both strong construction and light |
| durable and light weight construct for all forms of | | | | weight transport. Roto molded plastic kayaks |
| kayaks. Roto-molded plastic kayaks make up by | | | | have now largely taken over from fibreglass |
| far the largest market share of modern kayak | | | | models as the number one kayak material. The |
| sales. And with modern day manufacturing | | | | first modern plastics kayaks were manufactured |
| injection molding techniques have helped to drive | | | | in the early 1970s when the technique was |
| the cost of plastic kayaks down to an affordable | | | | perfected for rotation molding of polypropylene |
| price for most kayakers. | | | | kayaks. |
| Many modern plastic kayaks have added | | | | The biggest cost by far for the manufacturer is |
| composite materials such as Kevlar skins for | | | | the design and construction of a mold which must |
| further protection of the hull. The introduction of | | | | be made of a heat conductive material such as |
| roto-molded plastics has also enabled kayak | | | | aluminium for this reason the price of plastic |
| designers to create many specific and specialist | | | | kayaks remains reasonably high although with a |
| designs of kayaks for all forms of kayaking such | | | | greater market share and more manufacturers |
| as ocean kayaks made with a longer and sleeker | | | | the cost of plastic kayaks continues to drop. |
| hull to enable better straight ling tracking through | | | | Polypropylene is an extremely durable and lasting |
| open water. Roto-molded plastic White-water | | | | material for this reason , plastic kayaks are very |
| kayaks which are designed with a shorter overall | | | | popular in the used kayaks market where very |
| length for greater manoeuvrability through ruff | | | | good deals can be found. Modern composite |
| water. Plastic River kayaks which are designed for | | | | materials such as carbon and Kevlar are starting |
| general use and therefore have a balance of | | | | to grow in popularity however the relative cost of |
| specialist kayak characteristics. The process of | | | | manufacture of these newer material kayaks still |
| rot molding involves a mold which is heated to the | | | | makes plastic kayaks a very popular choice |
| required temperature. | | | | amongst the kayaking fraternity. |