Just my opinion, but I believe that my
composite canoes actually lose less material when scraping over rocks, etc., than my Royalex canoes.
Royalex has a thick layer of vinyl to lose, but eventually the ABS shows through in pale green.
Composite boats with S-glass or E-glass outside (and Kevlar or whatever inside) have a very hard surface that does not gouge or wear easily. Yeah, you can see the scratches, but they are shallow, not even flesh wounds.
did you refinish your Osprey
rails and thwarts yet?
LOL
I was going to post earlier about this
I saw an old fiberglass Wenonah some years back that was surely the most scratched-up boat I’ve ever seen. On close inspection, it could be seen that very few of the scratches were as deep as “typical” scratches on a Royalex boat. The boat sure looked like it had been to hell and back, but it was basically in really good shape. I bet the boat’s owner could sure tell some stories.
The first scratch is always
the most painful.
When I was a young’un I wanted all of my gear to be “just so” - always new looking. While on a trip to Quebec a ladyfriend lost her grip on one end of my Sawyer Cruiser and it hit the granite. I know she felt horrible about it, but I was distraught. I eventually got over it, made repairs and touch-up painted it.
A few years later I was in the midst of a first paddle in a brand-spankin’ new Hyperform Lettmann Mistral IV in kevlar/foam sandwich layup, and made contact with what was apparently a discarded piece of car chassis. Eight inch gash clean through the hull. Believe it or not, this was a bit less painful.
If you use your boat you willinevitably make contact with unseen rocks, scrap metal, clam beds, lost crab pots and the like. It still sets my teeth on edge to hear that “SKKKKRRRRRREEEEEAAAAACCCCCCCHHHHHH” as you pass over the unseen culprit. But I have come to accept the damage as being part of the experience.
If you end up with a horribly scratched hull, here is a trick for refinishing:
http://redrockstore.com/canoerepair/touchup/varnish/index.htm
Paddle your canoe, and enjoy.
Jim