: I wonder what would have happened if you didn't have the glass on
: the boat. Actually I don't wonder, but I get concerned everytime
: someone starts talking about "boats don't need glass".

Not all boats need the same thing since environmental conditions vary. How the boat is handled is a factor also.

When I bragged to Uncle Jay that my Outer Island came in a 30.5 lbs, the first thing I heard back was concern expressed about strength. I figured he lives where rocky shorelines are the norm, whereas I must literally drive 200 miles to see a naturally occurring rock; it's all sand and mud bottoms around here, no chance of any seal landing shenanigans. And a few hard seasons later, sure enough, no hint of a problem with it. The wise builder (and me too) takes external conditions into account when engineering the strength factor he needs -- and every boat is an assembly of compromises.

I'm more than a little surprised at the comment saying sooner or later everybody loses a boat. I guess we all know WW people are half loco, and/or bounced their beans off rocks a few times (speaking of rocks again), maybe that's the deal. But I've never come close to losing a boat, nor believe it's any kind of inevitability. If you use proper rack systems and proper tie-down practices, you should never have a problem. The better the cradles fit, the less cinching down is necessary (ratchet straps -- OMG!!). I just barely snug my boats down, but use only top-quality (Yakima) straps.

Sermon over, hallelujah!