If you’re considering the purchase of a Royalex canoe, you might want to get your order in soon.
PolyOne, the U.S. manufacturer of the material is closing plants and discontinuing unprofitable products-which includes Royalex. From our perspective as canoeists, we could not imagine Royalex as an insignificant product line. However; to a large plastic resin producer, it represents a tiny part of the plastics market, with no opportunity for future growth. It’s not difficult to understand the financial rationale for this decision. The down-sizing should be complete by the end of 2014, so the writing is on the wall.
Clearly, this will have major repercussions for a number of canoe-builders, who are hoping that a buyer for the product line will be found. If not, what happens next is anyone’s guess.
If you need a new or replacement Royalex boat, I’d get it now; just in case.