...Who may not present his data in a palatable form, but nonetheless he has tested more of his work than the rest of us all combined.

Why not buy a production boat or two, and one of Nicks in a standard layup, and one in en expedition layup. And a couple of Joe's, Jay's, Vaclav's, and Rob's. Then construct a test that has measurable results, and test all the boats to destruction.

The reason is the same reason I dont; I dont want to spend the money. The bottom line is, there is plenty of empirical data to show that the layups we use are strong enough. And there is no scientific data to show the same. I'd rather spend the money on good immersion gear, and if my boat gets destroyed I promise to A) Let everybody know, and B) Build a stronger one.