: ...I would much
: rather have a kayak that shows such wear than a showpiece...

Thank you, all who responded!

I couldn't agree more, Gerald: I actually prefer having a yak that boasts of its "adventures". It's when water gets into wood that I begin to have a fit. FYI, I pay special attention to your posts, as I agree with your design philosophies, and you seem to use your boats in a manner similar to ours. And you're in Texas. (Wood yaks are scarce as frog fur down here.) I also agree that routine bottom inspections are wise; I make temporary patches often with CA glue and/or duct/electrical tape when I detect a breach into raw wood. The very thought of water intrusion into plywood gives me the willies.

The flat bottoms on our Mill Creeks make most of the wear strip suggestions impractical. But multiple layers of 'glass in just the right spot looks to be just the ticket. And by golly, we know where 'just the right' spot is now!

I believe I shall also add 6oz cloth tape as full-length chine reinforcements as well, since they also receive quite a bit of abuse. The stems seem to be okay, with relatively little wear there. The stern bottoms most assuredly take the real heavies in our way of paddling, followed by the lower chines. Heck, I may just add a second layer of 'glass to the entire bottoms, with slight overlap across the lower chines and forget the tape thing. But the multi-layer "pad" at the stern is a definite GO.

The next time the boats come up for maintenence, that is. It's time to go paddlin' right now.

Cheers,
Kurt