Having left bottom paint in virtually every state from Texas to Maine (and some more than once), I surprise even myself how every time that I drag, bump, or stick, I manage to hit something different. On the whole, however, I worry about losing the rudder more than the dinging the bottom. A ding in the bottom is no big deal in the big picture; just haul it out on the trailer (that's the beauty of this tough little rascal), clean it up, fill the spot, put on some gel, and repaint the bottom. Loss of steering capacity, however, will ruin your whole day. Darn, I just hate it when that happens. The new boat (our second M 17), incidentally, will be named GO, the tender, GONE. As in Going, Going, Gone. When Mama says to get GOing, she will mean it. We will be in Southwest Harbor, Maine this summer. If any of you are in the area, look us up in the phone book (Skip & Karol Langley). If the San Juans works this summer, think about Downeast Maine next year. The Mt. Desert area is truly as beautiful as the San Juans (but without the population). Cheers. Skip