skid plate
Sorry this is 1 year later, but I just saw your post. I have a royalex Mad River Explorer in which I do both TN and MO streams. It has held up quite well, but after 15 years, its time to re-finish and maybe put on a skid plate as those areas are the most worn. So I think you can go either way and you’ll be happy with the royalex in those streams.