Mad River

ROYALEX: quality and reliability is very similar from one brand to another since all brands buy their Royalex from one place. Royalex is a multiple layer abs based plastic well proven over decades of use. The layers are fused together providing outstanding flexibility on impact and outstanding longevity and overall hull shape retention.
NOTE: the company that made the Royalex material for MAD RIVER and ALL other canoe brands has stopped production. Royalex was a great material for canoes which we have sold and also used in our rental program for many years with great success.
The new an improved Royalex 2.0 material is called T-formex.
Esquif and Wenonah both make high quality T-formex canoes. T-formex has proven to be the best canoe material by far, if you need Lots of durability and a reasonable weight.

PLASTIC (polyethylene): quality and reliability varies greatly from one brand to another depending on the grade of plastic used and the way it's formed.
Single layer plastic canoes dominate the box store scene since they are the lowest price of any option. Quality ranges from disposable trash can grade to a bit better.
Multiple layer plastic canoes are about four times thicker and provide very good shape retention, and durability over many years. Extra thickness results in much fewer catastrophic failures from cracks and voids which become leaks in a single layer canoe hull (aka Coleman, Pelican, Mad River Adventure or Passage.) The layers are fused together providing outstanding flexibility on impact and outstanding longevity and overall hull shape retention. Unlike single layer canoes which need molded seat supports between the gunwale and floor, multiple layer canoes have replaceable seats and components. We see lots of single layer canoes that can't be repaired.  We have sold and also used multiple layer plastic canoes in our rental program for many years with great success. Examples of quality multiple layer plastic canoes are Triple Tough by Mad River, and Polylink3 or Crosslink3 by Old Town Canoe.

Fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon (composites): quality and reliability varies greatly from one brand to another and ranges from very poor to outstanding. Reliability depends greatly on the grade of material or fabric used and especially the way it's formed and reinforced.  We call this selective reinforcing vs. what can we leave out to make this thing lighter.  Multiple layer composite canoes with a foam core material in the floor are about four times thicker and provide excellent shape retention and durability over many years in spite of being very light weight.

Some fancy canoe brands are merely posers and hucksters that can only talk a good game, while others are just made to cheaply to function well or last. Oak Orchard only recommends canoe models which are proven in real use. Examples of high-quality reliable canoes include: Esquif Canoes(T-formex.) Old Town Canoes(polyethylene, rotomolded Polylink3.) Rheaume Canoes(Fibrex, fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon, Innegra, Wood.) and Wenonah Canoes(T-formex, Tuff-weave, In-tek, Kevlar, Innegra, Carbon.)