So here's a queston regarding outfitting my canoe. Last year I purchased a new Bell Northstar Blackgold and took her out on her maiden voyage for 3 (windy) weeks in Quetico and followed that up with a couple of shorter jaunts into Algonquin.  The canoe was fabulous meeting or exceeding all my expectations, but, needless to say, even wet footing and being as careful as we could (without being anal) she took her share of scratches and scrapes.  Due to the boat being improperly outfitted where I bought her, the seller offered to replace her with a new one for this year.  Since I’m starting from scratch (excuse the pun,) I thought it might be a good idea to add skid plates given the wear she took bow and stern in only one season (well, I suppose it wasn’t that bad but you know how white scratches look on a shiny new black hull.)  Anyway, I note on the Bell web site that skid plates are not an option offered by the manufacturer.  Rather they say that skid plates are integrated into the existing layup.  Can anyone add to this?  If you own a Bell, has it been your experience that the integrated skid plates are sufficient for the general wear and tear that one would expect for flat water canoeing in rugged terrain (Q, Wabakimi, WCPP etc.) or would it be advisable to have skid plates added over and above the manufacturer’s specs?  Opinions and insights please.