: Personally, I use my boat as hard as I want to. I use a certain
: amount of discretion in landing, but generally end up with
: large, long scratches some of them quite deep. They are
: typically on the bottom and have little to no effect on the
: aesthetics in typical usage.

: After a year or two or three when I am in the mood, I sand the boat
: and re-varnish. This hides 90% of the scratches. Some of the
: deeper ones will show as a depressed line in the right light.
: The deepest ones may remain as light lines where I've scratched
: into the glass.

: BTW, if you are really concerned about scratches, keep the boat
: wet. Scratches are invisible when the boat is wet.

I use my boats hard and scratch the bottoms up. I don't worry about it.
I find 96% of my scratches disappear with a new coat of varnish.

I have made and used a "Squaller Hauler" designed by Tim Dyer, owner of
White Squall - http://www.whitesquall.com/
on Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, where rock, all the time, and everywhere, is the landing material.

A Squaller Hauler is simply a 24" piece of 2X4 with a slight arc (to fit you hull bottom) cut on one 3-1/2"
surface and is covered with carpet. Store it on your back deck. Toss it on shore and pull
you boat up on it. It's especially helpful getting a boat loaded with gear out of the water.

Nick, have you left for Georgian Bay yet?

Rob