: Thanks David, thats a useful story about a canoe being severly damaged. The
: layup is pretty typical for kayaks. The hazard seems to have been about as
: severe as I can imagine. Doesn't the military plant similar devices on
: strategic beaches to discourage waterborne invasion?

I hope my story didn't scare anybody off of cedar strip. It's not stopping me from building the Guillemot Expedition! After picking myself up after trashing my masterpiece (in my eyes only!), I was amazed how easy it was to fix. Based on a tip from my canoe builder friend, I filled in the holes a good as possible with strips, and then finished it off with that lite-bondo with microballoons. Pureists will say that's crude, but it doesn't look all that bad. The bondo almost blends in with the wood and I had it done in a few nights.