: My question is: what happens to all the pretty kayaks, new and shiney just
: after being built (and frequently pictured on this board) get thrashed for
: a couple of years. Do they look like train wrecks? Is all the effort to
: make them and those good looks going to last beyond the first year?

Pete,

I spent lots of time and worry trying to avoid anything that might
damage my strippers. I was careful when I sat the boats on the shore,
careful getting in and out of the water, careful loading and unloading,
and constantly looking out for obstacles that might damage them.
But you can't enjoy paddling if you constantly worry about scratching
the damaging the boats. Though I was careful, damage is unavoidable.

And repairs , at least for me, were difficult to master as the kayaks
never looked as good as before. I even painted the hulls on my last
couple of strippers to lessen the visual impact of damage. But I
figured that if I was going to paint them, why bother making
them as strippers.

That's one of the reasons I switched to SOF. They may appear more
fragile, but in reality are able to withstand much abuse due to the
flexible frames and skins. ( Bend don't break). Repairs are easy,
and a patch here and there adds character. Nothing is prettier than
a wood/fiberglass kayak, nor is anything harder to keep looking
that way.

I am in awe of the workmanship I see on this forum, but for my
money, give me a good old "working boat" SOF for paddling, and
a beautiful stripper for display.

Tom