The equipment required is resin or varnish, sandpaper and a brush. Plastic, that's what happened. 1 bet Prince Charles wouldn't paddle a plastic canoe. In the event of a gash or hole, repair is not a problem. A simple glassfibre patch does the job for small damage while a cutout plywood insert sorts out a bigger one.
Abrasion resistance is very good and there is a reasonable degree of tolerance to major flexing.