Haydale has announced that its bespoke mechanical graphene masterbatch has been used to create stronger and lighter composite sea kayaks for Norwegian paddle sport brand Norse Kayaks ("Norse").
Using the new graphene-enhanced material has reportedly made the Norse kayak 30% lighter, going from 23kg to 16kg, making the composite kayak easier to load and transport. The use of graphene in the vacuum infusion composite layup process has also increased both impact strength and stiffness, improving the resistance to breakage in critical areas of the kayak. Vibration dampening has also improved the user experience.
Renowned for building well-made, high-quality kayaks since 2013, Norse currently has 12 designs in its portfolio. Norse uses vacuum infusion molding techniques to ensure a flawless finish and the even distribution of materials across the kayak. These new graphene-enhanced kayak prototypes have already sold 30 units, leading to positive expectations on potential sales when the season starts, and the first kayaks reach the European marketplace.
Commenting on the new graphene-enhanced kayak, Norse founder, Kjetil Sandvik, said: "The use of graphene has exceeded our expectations and we are sure that this will set a new standard of what is possible to do with a sea kayak. We have never seen this kind of impact strength on light weight sea kayaks in our 20 years' experience in the kayaking business."
Haydale CEO, Keith Broadbent, added: "It has been a challenge for the composites industry to effectively use nanomaterials in the resin infusion process, but now having worked closely with Norse on a bespoke graphene resin solution we are delighted with the product enhancements they have seen... It's not just in the sports and leisure field that we believe there is potential for this weight saving technology. With all the benefits Norse has seen there is potential to replicate this in the automotive and aerospace sectors and beyond where vacuum infusion is part of the manufacturing process."
The kayaks are designed in Bergen, Norway and built at A. J. Fishing Industries in Sri Lanka for touring, expedition, and fitness paddling.
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