: Been thinking on this one a while. I wanted a boat to fish the
: local flowing creeks from. . .

Have you looked at Platt Monfort's designs yet? Check out gaboats.com (that would be for Geodesic Airolite Boats).

The idea behind his designs is to create a very light structure from thin wood strips held together with (nearly) unstretchable Kevlar twine woven into the mix. Once the lightweight, pretensioned frame is made he covers it with polyester, which is heat shrunk and then coated with a urethane or polyurethane. By using a very lightweight fabric (translate that as "Thin") these boats are probably as light as anything you'll find.

Another interesting feature about Monfort's designs is how the skin is attached to the frame: It is ironed on using a household laundry iron and Heat'n' Bond, a fusible fabric adhesive sold at fabric stores. Personally, my trust in this process is non existant. But then, I've never tried it. They claim it is durable.

For greater durability I'd use heavier fabric, hold the fabric on with monel staples or brass tacks, and cover the surfaces most likely to see abrasion with thin brass strips.

Wood rub strips are the cheapest way to go, and the fastest if you happen to have them around.

Brass strips would be more expensive, but not prohibitive. Predrilled brass with an oval cross section is a standard item for canoe repair. Some people use flat brass stock. If you go with something 1/8th inch thick, or thinner, it won't affect the handling of the boat. It you want to have a keel for directional control, use a wood strip and cover the edge with brass to protect it from rocks.
It lasts far longer than any other part of the boat. Dings and nicks can be removed with a file or sand paper. Pull it off when reskinning, and put it back on. If you hit a rock you tend to slide over it, rather than get hung up.

UHMW plastic, or any other type of plastic would probably need to be cut to the right width and thickness, and probably need to be pieced together to get the length you'd want. You can repair it with a rasp, but it is much softer than the rocks you might encounter, so it might get banged up and need replacement about as often as a wood rub strip. I'd be unhappy if such a rub strip didn't last at least three years. With some care it could go for many more.

You've got a wood shop, so why not stick with materials that you will have around. A strip of a tough wood like cherry, oak, or mahogany is going to last 2 to 5 years. Something soft like cedar will go 1 to 4 years. Pine, spruce, fir, poplar, etc. would be somewhere in between. Seal them in epoxy and avoid the worst of the rocks and you'll get the maximum life. Use raw wood and drag the boats around on rocky beaches and expect the minimum.

Hope this helps,

PGJ