KSC,
Good thougts. I agree that the Jefe and Nomad are excellent boats. As far as durability, I have found it to largely be a matter of the boater. Some people willingly or carelessly abuse their boats. Having had paddled 4 meter glass boats in class V early on, I aspired to try to be clean in my lines, and to treat equipment with care off the river too. I generally own my favorite boats five years or more and they are in great shape still when I sell them. The other durability factor is, of course, that some boats are definitely being subjected more often to sic decents by the best boaters these days. In which case, damaged goods should be expected. If Prijon makes a great design, and if someone really felt the need for an added pillar, they might have the ultimate durable creek boat. Otherwise, each generation of designs has generally improved the performance over the years and it is left to the boater to try not to abuse the boat. Everyone will likely voice support for the brand they own, are sponsored by, or work for. I'm just a guy that likes to boat and who feels that, even though the Nomad and Jefe are great creek boats, I prefer and feel that WS and JK have the best boats. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how much more boats can improve and which companies survive. I might consider a Villain now that my daughter wants my Punk Rocker. Which, for the health of the industry, we all need to encourage the kids and need to buy new gear.
Cheers to all,
Ken
