Recently I posted something about BBK only taping the inside joints of the hull of their kayaks, that the only full cloth was on the exterior of the hull. In perusing their site, they list some of their improvements for 2001. One of those is that they now glass the interior of the cockpit to make them more durable in terms of both impact and abrasion resistance. Also, the weights of their kayaks have come down as well -- their Valkyrie (17'x20.5") is now 33-34#, down from 36#. I wonder if they switched to 3mm plywood as they increased their 'glass.

Also, this brings up a question I've mulled over but never posted: How much cloth is necessary at the very ends of the inner hulls of our kayaks? Most of the weight is in the center of the boat. Is anything more than taped seams on a stitcher or the very lightest of fiberglass cloth on a stripper necessary in that last 3-4 feet of a kayak? Has anyone seen any major failures in these last feet, save for along the stems which should be reinforced regardless? Anyone been parked on 2 rocks, supporting all your weight from the ends?

Dean