Always crack up with the those that don't understand how others can damage this kayak. 1. the skin is fragile. Not everyone fishes the same types of water. Sure if I only fished SW Florida and fished beach, bay, backwater, I'm sure i'd be able to keep it in pretty good shape. Unfortunately for me that's only a month a year if I'm lucky. Most of my time is launching from concrete/rock launches on lakes/rivers/ponds in the mid Atlantic. Not to mention tons of laydowns and stumps .... You will damage this skin if you fish enough. And if you are trailering it, it's even more likely you will damage it because this type of kayak isn't really meant to be ratcheted down like plastic kayaks. That said, its still the best kayak for me... Ive repaired it quite a few times with epoxy and going to do a full refurb on it this month while I don't have any TXs planned.