I just purchased an Old Town 16ft Stillwater made out of Fiberglass. It’s light (65lbs) and is very stable for taking some of my kids on. So far we love it. But my concern is the durability of fiberglass. Should I have gone with a royalex type of material that is more durable??? I plan on paddling on small bayous and rivers and not on any fast moving streams with rocks etc so my feeling was the cheaper fiberglass material would suit me just fine. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Also should I put on skid plates now or wait until the surfaces wear down?
Fiberglass is Fine
If you’re not dragging it over rocks or using it in rapids, your fiberglass is fine.
BTW - fiberglass is easily repairable, so even if something happens you can fix it.
Wait for skid plates until you need them. You’re not dragging the canoe or ramming it onto a rocky shore, right? You shouldn’t need them for a very long time, if ever.
Fiberglass boats, if laid up right, are
quite durable. If you should ever crack it, get back to us on patching technique. With a glass boat, if your ends get worn, I would use glass layers with epoxy rather than Kevlar felt skid pads.