: What's the rationale behind the brass keel strip? I bet it looks
: cool, but I don't know what function it serves. I thought you
: were already using the graphite bottoms when you wanted extra
: abrasion resistance, and brass sounds heavy.

I USED to depend on layers of glass and graphite but the rock in the river and the ice in the fall were too sharp edged for mere abrasion resistance. The keels were shaved clean right into the end pour. I tried an ash rub strip first but that lasted only two years before it splintered and finally wore through to the end pour again. The brass is heavier, yes, but it is almost indestructable. I have had one brass keel for 6 years to good effect (bow) and added one on the stern earlier this year. When I paddle on the nearly frozen river, sometimes I have to run over top of the ice pans because there is no where else to go...the brass holds up perfectly where other materials don't. I'd rather have a slightly heavier kayak that I can take anywhere than have to repair it ever odd year. The rest of the hull is coated with hex-boron nitride, the so called "white graphite". It resists abrasion very well, as does graphite. I still have to touch up my kayak once in a while but at least that doesn't happen until I have paddled for several years.

Robert N Pruden