I owned a P16 for 10 years. I have helped rejuvenate a couple of them. I haven't seen any deck delaminations. The bottoms of the hulls are rather sharp. This causes the gel coat to wear off quickly after coming up on the beach too many times. You will soon be wearing away fiberglass. I would definately recommend the boat for a someone new to cats. It is stable, solid and forgiving providing you understand the basics. You can bury the bow on most beach cats if you are careless. You can also flip most cats if you are on the wrong side of the boat at the wrong time. Usually you just go for a swim so it's no big deal. I've never turtled a boat or had anyone get injured in an abrupt pitchpole. You'll have a blast and not regret a minute of it. That is why there is so much enthusiasm and sharing of info among those of us on this site. Good luck.