Hi Marc,
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I was kayak camping at Berg’s Landing….. with my thermoform boat!
I have had a 13.5 ‘ thermoform Eddyline Merlin LT for about 4 years (the boat is about 12 years old) and think thermoform is a great alternative to rotomolded boats if fibreglass/kevlar is not an option. It is more scratch resistant than the softer rotomold plastic and much less likely to oilcan. It will scratch when run up on the beach but much less than rotomolded and it doesn’t affect the integrity of the boat. I also like that it is much lighter than a rotomolded kayak (42 lbs).
Without a skeg or rudder it handles very well in both calm and rougher conditions and will track with just a bit of paddle correction but in a following sea it can be a lot of work to keep it straight. At 101 L. volume it would be a bit of a challenge to tour with unless you are a real minimalist. My boat is 110 L. and I can go away for a weekend with it, but space really is limited and my partner carries the tent/tarp/stove etc.
If you have any other questions or would like to try out my boat just let me know.
Cheers,
Jill