The price of raw materials had gotten so high a year or so when I closed the West Side Boat Shop shop I was already hearing that the price of a modern, high-end racing kayak was too high. Old-timers fondly remembered the cost of similar boats 20 years ago and could not fathom how prices had gotten so high.
Kevlar, carbon fiber, resins…everything that goes into a kayak has become ridiculously expensive. Most of it tied to the price of petroleum. And now it looks like prices are going to skyrocket again.
Do you think high-kayaks will ever be within reach of most advanced paddlers under age 50 ever again?
Sadly, I think more manufacturers will have to close-up shop.
Kayak Manufacturing Costs Spike As Strait of Hormuz Remains Closed – Paddling Magazine
West Side Boat Shop Kayaks 