Sounds like your friends are trying to justify those $2500 charges on their credit cards :-) I think your comment on improved handling is worth a lot (although not a given just because the boat is wooden). Not to start a building Jihad here with George, but I would guess your boat is just as resilient as, if not more than, the glass boats. All the cases of wood boat punctures I've seen here or elsewhere resulted in minimal if any leaks and were easily repaired (even in the field). Besides, I'd have no qualms about repairing a hole in an inexpensive boat that I had built. On the other hand, repairing a $2500 beast that I probably haven't paid off yet ...

For me, the bottom line is damage that doesn't total my boats is more of a "Hmmm, What's a good way to fix that" kind of a problem rather than a "OhmyGod! My new boat!" problem.

Bill