Review: Guillemot Petral Kayak

When you see a pile of wood strips, you probably think tinder. Crown molding at best. But Nick Schade of Guillemot Kayaks envisions an elegant boat that, though handcrafted using the oldest of techniques, outperforms its newfangled peers. Guillemot's vessels are so striking that the New York Museum of Modern Art has one in its permanent collection. Despite their vintage looks, these kayaks have hulls that are stronger than fiberglass and as tough as carbon fiber — and they'll outlast both. Lightweight synthetic fibers can be woven into a very strong mesh, but the composite becomes brittle with age and fatigues as it flexes; after a few decades, even an awesome carbon-fiber craft can develop leaks. But not one of Guillemot's beauties. Though glued and coated with epoxy, their tough wooden cores are almost immune to fatigue. "It's what trees do," Schade says. "They sway for hundreds of years without weakening."