: Brandon, If your goal is increased abrasion resistance then I'd first
: identify the major areas of abrasion: bow,stern,area under seat,area
: behind coaming (paddle entries), coaming, foredeck where paddle whacks it.
: Then put extra material as needed whether that is a thicker coat of epoxy,
: thickened epoxy or extra glass/fabrics as needed. I'd suggest a couple
: layers of dynel strips at bow and stern or at least 3 layers of bias cut
: 6oz on the bow/stern wear areas (only a 1" by 6" strip where the
: ends of the kayak touch when lifted at one end. If you are considering a
: major wear resistance then go ahead and put down another layer of 4oz
: glass on the bottom panels, that should add about 12oz to the kayak.
: Personally I don't think flat black graphite is a great idea if your
: kayaks are sitting upside down in hot sun. There's no reason to turn a
: perfectly nice kayak into an oven. I like non-skid marine tape
: (2"x4") behind the coaming for paddle float and other paddle
: pressures, it also helps keep the paddle from slipping around. 6oz on the
: coaming isn't a bad idea even though the 6mm plywood is plenty strong I
: find that some of my boats have stained wood from water seeping in after
: an entire summer of T-rescues and being crammed against other boats on
: racks. A kayak that tumbles to the beach without you will hit the coaming,
: so 6oz there will add further toughness. Deck whacking gets taken care of
: by a glassed deck but also simply running a roller of epoxy over the sheer
: at the deck whacking area works. Hey, I even haven't got started in over
: building recommendations! But back to one of your questions , 6oz glass
: and epoxy is tough enough,but for a 230lb guy and 100 lbs of stuff there's
: nothing overbuilt about 10-12 oz on the bottom. Check out Nicks book on
: recommended glass layups for his strip boats.

If our primary concern here is abrasion resistance, and we are willing to sacrifice the look of clear coat wood to get it, wouldn’t Kevlar be a viable option. It has excellent abrasion resistance. When applied properly it has excellent strength to weight ratios. When compared to coat of equal thickness in epoxy and graphite I would think that the Kevlar/epoxy would be a little lighter and much more abrasion resistant.

When I was at Pygmy show room last year, they had their the botom of their boats coated up to the water line with epoxy and graphite. These are the same boats they use in their catalog and web site. Once the boat is in the water you do not see the black bottom. Has anyone tried the same thing with Kevlar?

Don