I wouldn't worry about the durability. The accident described did NOT say that water was flooding the boat, only that a hole as punched in the outer glass layer, and the wood got wet. Even in a puncture situation it takes quite a while for a compartment to flood. Even with MAJOR damage, because of the onstruction method, the pieces are ususally still hinged to the boat by at least one layer of the glass cloth. The parts can be jammed back into place, slowing the inrush of water. Then, even without duct tape, you can pump or bail faster than the water comes in.

Minor cracks and puntures should actually be somewhat self healing, as the wet wood core will expand slightly, aiding in sealing.

Compare this to any other canoe or kayak material. With plastic or aluminum a hole goes through the single layer, or it dents or tears. With solid reinforced glass fiber construction a crack can be a minor thing, (crazing) or the boat may crack off a piece.

With skin on frame boats you actually have very good durability (Klepper estimates the life of a kayak skin at more than 25 years!). Hit a rock with a soft sided boat and it bulges gently in that area, and you slip away from the obstruction. Similar effect with using thin wood strips accounts for the relatively high strength of 1/8th inch thick strips compared to the more conventional 1/4 inch strips. West System data, which someone practically duplicated for this board last year, shows that the breaking strength of the really thin strips is almost as great as with the usual strips. With the really thin strips the flexibility is much greater, though. So, the thin strips "give" a bit rather than crack and break.

Despite all this silly "data", the bottom line is whether this boat will hold up for you. It should.

But most of us here have no worries about durability, as we are already working on building the next boat. Heck, if we can break the first one ( And that is a darn hard thing to do) we can make a better pitch to the significant other about why we need to build a new boat.

Despite average use and occasional abuse a wood boat covered with glass cloth and epoxy resin should last about 20 years. More abouse will reduce that time. (Aluminum canoes may last longer, but they'll be leaking around lot of rivet holes by then.)

If you are particularly tough on the bottom of your boat, you can "armor plate" it with a layer of some super strong fabric like Dynel, or Kevlar, or just build on a "sacrificial" layer of regular fiberglass cloth. Your first year or two of use will give you an indication of whether you need this extra weight and protection. If you break something during that time you have the skills, tools and materials to fix it.

hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson

PGJ

Hope this helps.