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[quote=shortyfox][quote]My NACRA 20 lives at the beach in CT and it's quite rocky. While I don't ever intentionally run it up the beach, it's still getting scratched up from "incidents." I don't ever leave it out of the water except on beach wheels and stern supports.[/quote]
When I bought the G-Cat I'm currently sailing I noticed that the previous owner had done a "Bottom Job" that leaved a lot to be desired.  I don't know what kind of cloth and resin was used and it's held up fine, but it was used in great excess and was far from smooth.  So, I started sanding and sanding and sanding.  It appeared smooth, but after I applied gelcoat, I could see many flaws made visible by the glossiness of the gelcoat.  I came to the conclusion that fairing is a real skill, much harder than I thought.

Another point I wanted to make is that you want to keep your hulls off rocky beaches in the first place.  I know you're probably saying "duh", but I have the same issues, so I anchor in about 2 feet or less and finish rigging the boat there.  If your boat wants to move around too much use a bow and stern anchor to position it how you want it relative to the wind.  If you don't want to sail with an anchor, just leave it there with a bleach bottle for a marker.  This all depends on how calm it is where you're launching and if there's any kind of shore break what I suggested is moot and you'll have to live with scratches.[/quote]

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