wrote:
You can redo the gel-coat when it gets damaged, as it certainly will.

How hard should I hit a rock to make the gel re-coating necessary?
Will I have to re-coat after every portage/launch? Will I have to
spend hours re-coating after every trip?

I know this site http://www.outdoorplaces.com/Feature.../newcanoe1.htm.
Not specific. Generates more questions than answers I need semi-
qunatitative information to make the decision (e.g. hours spent kevlar
re-coating after every weekend trip, bucks spent on the gel, etc,
chances of the boat totalling due to a minor accident, etc).

Most "Kevlar" canoes have a layer or two of glass on the outside to
prevent the dreaded Kevlar Fuzz. Ask about the specific construction of
any canoe you're interested in. You can always repair a composite boat
with a thin layer of resin too. All my composite (whitewater) boats are
used hard and while I've had to do an occasional patch, none are fuzzy.