[Billpjr]

Wow...Sounds like "pound for pound" strength is being confused as meaning more durable. Steel is the toughest boat building material out there. I doubt any credible architect will say different. If you know one post his name.

Strength wise you can build a composite boat to be as strong...but not as durable. Pound for pound, put any professionally designed/built steel boat against any prof designed/built composite boat on a reef and see what happens. Let them sit a few days with a ground swell and drag them off. Steel will win 99% of the time.

Or you can do what I did...ask an operator at BASRA (Bahama Air Sea Rescue) which boats historically take groundings best based on their rescues and reports. Empirical data (and anecdotal data will concur) says from best to worst: steel, wood, fiberglass, concrete. Steel being the only material that usually stayed together and refloated...but was dented, etc. Concrete crumbled to tiny pieces quickly. They see several boats a week sink from hitting their heavily reefed cruising grounds.