: I'd be curious to see tests that simulate sliding impacts with 250lbs of
: force across a sharp rock in order to see what is effective for
: durability. The damage I see isn't from dragging 45lbs of kayak over a log
: but 250lbs of kayak and paddler LANDING and sliding over a rock.

Lee, I can answer this one by relating or reminding you of the incident I encountered back in April of 2007. I wanted to test the strength of the ice shelf I was launching off so I knocked the hull of the VJ straight down on the edge of the ice: it didn't break. I launched and learned only after the fact that the hull cracked right through two layers of 6-oz glass AND lifted the edge of a layer of kevlar (partial delamination - kevlar inside the cockpit only). I do not know how much pressure I used to slam the VJ down on the ice but I assure you that it wasn't 250 lbs. I didn't realize that the hull cracked until I was in the middle of the river and losing stability and control. The wet feeling along my calves helped me realize that there was a seriously bad problem.

I was surprised that the hull cracked so easily. I have rammed the VJ over rock and log many times with no problem. I suspect that it was the downward motion that tested the hull to the nth degree. Also, it cracked right where the bulkhead was placed. There is a foam shock absorber under the bulkhead so the hull was able to flex and crack instead of take the hit and possibly not crack.

Running over stuff doesn't provide enough direct force on the hull to risk major failures. I doubt there are any resin-based coatings that could have protected the VJ from such a blunt force. As far as sliding over stuff goes, the carbon powder and/or hex boron nitride will offer protection but only as a lubricant to minimize abrasion, as we all know. It would be interesting to see what a 250-lb sliding force could do to teh hull. I do not plan on doing that test.

Robert N Pruden