: I have been bitten by the bug to build a boat and am very interested in doing
: a skin on frame boat. My concern is for durability, specifically puncture
: resistance. I kayak primarily on inland lakes and rivers. Dodging rocks
: and sticks is a given. Getting in and out is usually harder than on a
: beach. Would I be doomed to failure and a wet butt if I went the skin
: route?

I've been paddeling my single for the past nine years without trouble. It has handled surf launches/landings also the occasional brush with the rocks.
The boat is covered with 14 oz. nylon from George Dyson and neoprene/hypalon coating from Gaco Western. The skin is pretty tough but it will abrade, I just touch up worn spots with the coating as needed. I also glued webbing rub strips on the keel and bottom most chines. After nine years of hard use this boat is fairly worn and I am looking to replace the skin soon. Imho this is one of the advantages of a s.o.f., the skin can be replaced. I don't recomend using heavyer nylon than the 14oz. because of the weight of the additional coating needed to cover it. I think the selective reinforcement of rub strips is better. I've just built a double s.o.f. with 11oz nylon with a polyurethane coating and I'm pleased with the results. The clear polyuretahane makes for a translucent skin that is very cool looking. Time will tell about it's durabilty, but so far so good.