It is really amazing to contemplate the difference between the raw materials and the finished boat. When you hold a small piece of 4mm Okume in your hand you think "this is like balsa wood" (It is not, of course, just try breaking it) With fiberglass inside and out, the finished boats are light and incredibly strong. I droped my Pygmy Coho 7 feet off the top of my SUV onto asphalt with nothing more than a scratch in the varnish. When you apply pressure to these composit boats (like sitting on the deck while on shore) you do not hear the same "creaking" noise that fiberglass boats make. Lots of rocky landings will scratch up the finish and can dig into the fiberglass but repairs are easy to make and look quite good.

In my humble opinion, there is nothing light enough to carry on your shoulder that is tougher than plywood composit boats. The strippers may be more artistic, but I think the Mahogony ply "under glass" looks very nice too.

Mike

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I am considering building a tandem s&g kayak for protected water touring and
: am a little concerned about the durability issue given the apparent
: lightness (4mm okume) of the wood portion of the composite material. Can
: anyone address this concern for me? Understand that I'm not looking for
: any guarantees, just some reasonable assurance that the boat will hold up
: under my normal use (20 heavy days per season). thanks