On 6/30/2017 at 3:01 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

I have a 12 ft Old Town Dirigo 120. It is brand new and I really like how it looks. I've just started using it and one of the places I go is the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio to fish for smallmouth, but the guy at the canoe rental place said that the river destroys nicer kayaks and that they have to buy very tough ones to rent out.  river is mostly about 3-5 ft deep throughout but has a few areas where it gets very shallow and my kayak drags on the rocky bottom. Should I avoid rivers like this and stick to lakes or is my boat built to handle that? I don't want to age my boat any faster than I have to. Thanks! 

Your kayak is made from very durable Polylink 3.  I had a Loon 138 made from that stuff for 19 years and sold it o a guy who could probably get another 19 years out of it. Just use a little common sense and it will last.

On 7/5/2017 at 9:19 PM, BrianSnat said:

An OT Dirgo is not a "nicer kayak". It is cheap, rotomolded plastic.  You will get scratches and dings,  but it will hold up well to river rocks.  After a few years the bottom will look like crap, but that  doesn't  change the paddling characteristics. If  you are worried about scratching it, you are in the wrong sport.   Scratches and dings WILL happen on rivers and even on lakes.

Storing it improperly will have more of an affect on its performance than any scratches. Pay more attention to proper storage than where you paddle. See this for some advice on storage, paying particular attention to part two. https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/kayak-storage.html

  Actuallly "nicer"  kayaks are often made from fiberglass, kevlar and other fusion materials and rocks  may have more serious consequences. Your cheap, rotomolded kayak will bounce off rocks like rain on a duck's back.

The Dirogo is not roto molded it is made from Polylink 3, and is very durable.

I fish out of a field and stream kayak I bought for 150$. I have dragged it down gravel roads with 60lbs of gear in it, wedged myself in jagged rocks in heavy current to use as an anchor, gone over super shallow rocky riffles countless times, and pushed myself over more trees than I can count. I’ve been using this yak for 3 years now and it isn’t showing any signs of being too best up to use. If my super cheap old kayak has stood up to my abuse than your brand new one isn’t going to have any issues

try looking for keel/rash guards. they will give a little bit more protection.  if youre super paranoid which can be understandable i believe there are ones made of kevlar. i think the company that sells that is called gator guard.

Renters will see a submerged metal fence post and not hesitate to go over it.  If you baby your boat too much, you'll miss out on the joys of having one.  Just use prudence and you'll be fine.

I don't recommend a keel guard on a kayak.  It'll just add unnecessary weight, and possibly affect performance.  Plastic patch kits are cheap, and easy to apply, if you actually compromise the hull.

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

I don't recommend a keel guard on a kayak.  It'll just add unnecessary weight, and possibly affect performance.  Plastic patch kits are cheap, and easy to apply, if you actually compromise the hull.

Duct tape works too.  Put duct tape on the keel and replace every year if scratches are an issue.  I don't worry about it.  Scratches are part of the gig.

All three of my boats have a sacrificial keel guard at the stern, for dragging.  The only one close to wearing out is on the Coosa.  Just loading the boats into my pickup causes scratches.  Not worried enough about it to add duct tape to the hulls.  Might look pretty cool, tho

The stern keel is where I've had a kayak wear.  My WS Ride finally wore to the point that I couldn't patch it with pieces from a 5 gallon bucket to where it sink over the course of a 4 hour float.  When I cut it apart to put in the recycling bin, I got to see how much wear there was and the places that wore over the length of the hull.  It was surprisingly far worse in the stern.  I wish I had taken pictures.  I got a ton of use out of that kayak on a bunch of rivers and dragging it over railroads and other assorted improvised launch sites.  If they all last that long, you'll get your money's worth before you wear one out.