Me again,

Down below is a quote taken from the 'watersdancing' website... I could not find any pictures of the bottom of the kayak. I recall when I was in the shop he showed me the bottom of the same kayak mentioned below. The scratches did not go through the Black layer, I could not see wood or even the white of stressed fibergass at the scrach poin, only more 'black stuff'. However judging by the look of the scrap what ever he hit was sharp.

I've had my canoe (no carbon) out once, and landed on the shore once (take off from peer) and I have a pretty good gouge in the fiberglass, from a pretty 'light' landing on a rocky shore. I'm convinced I'll go with the carbon on my kayak, or some other form of scuff protection.

I figure the carbon in Epoxy is simillar to rocks in concrete. makes it much more resistant to wear and tear.

Any ways here is the comment from the web site, Part of the FAQ on repair:

". ..you have built your own boat, you have worked with all the things you need and have the skills necessary to make a repair! Okoume plywood/epoxy boat sustain less damage than fiberglass from a similar accident. I have had my Lightning 17 for six years and have dragged it across gravel roads even when full of gear, landed on rocks in surf, banged down rocky rivers, and walked along its deck. It has not even been re-varnished yet. It sits in our showroom and when people see it there they invariably say "that boat is too pretty to put in the water" If they only knew!"

The quote above refers to a Stich and glue boat. These boats will often flex a bit more than a cedar strip, thus absorbing some of the impulse of a hit.

Myrl