i know this will probably get some snide remarks but I got a new to me xpress aluminum boat and haven't really thought twice about sliding it up on the bank. Now I have a bunch of scratches from the rocky banks of benbrook

Does anyone worry about this or is it that it's an aluminum boat and that's what there made for

My old aluminum I didn't care cause it was old but this ones still in near new condition and I find myself going to the courtesy docks on lakes that have them rather than doing the bank slide

Am I being overprotective of my boat child

Just don't punch holes in it

"Am I being overprotective of my boat child"
In a word yes

scratches don't leak. If ya don't want yer boat scratched, leave it on the trailer.

No snide remarks here, the bow of my fiberglass boat is beat to snot, and 90 percent of it came from old BB, it is a horrible lake to beach your boat, and only one ramp that I know of has a loading dock, think its not usable if the lake is 3 feet low.
Best advise is go fishing on other lakes, like me. Like I said, seldom go there yet most of my hull damage is from there.

As long as you don't have a Tracker boat then you don't have near the worries. POS Trackers will get holes from just bouncing on the waves.
You might put a keel guard on it. Or use something similar to Bear Bond that NASCAR uses to repair the car bodies. You can get this at Home Depot. Warning. Once you stick it to the aluminum you will have all kinds of hell ever getting it off. This stuff is unreal tough and comes in white and black colors.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Grace-Vycor-P...03106/203057406

Treat your boat like you would your women and it will last you a life time.

ive been thinking of something like this or rhino liner.

It's kind of a natural thing.
Once the new wears off you probably won't be as concerned.
I take care of my stuff and I try to protect my boat as best I can, but you'll eventually run into circumstances beyond your control.
I'll take any aluminum hull over fiberglass any day for toughness.

No, you are not being overprotective. It shows pride of ownership and there is nothing shameful about that. I'm the same way with my new SeaArk. There is nothing shameful about wanting to preserve a sizable investment, both functionally and asthetically. It will suffer enough mishaps on it's own without adding carelessness to the mix.
If you were going to book s guided fishing trip, which would you enjoy most? Going out in a clean well maintained boat or one that has just been beat to s__t?

I cry a little every time.

If you plan on selling this boat soon then you need to keep it as scratch free as possible however if you plan on keeping it for a considerable time I wouldn't worry about it as long as your not putting holes in the boat itself.

On another note, fishing boats are tools they are made to be used to get where the fish are which means scratches and dents and dings or chips depending if it's fiberglass or aluminum, tools are made to be used not sit in a garage and look pretty

Those keel guards only protect the keel. I would not put one on a aluminum boat. What you need to be worried about is not the bank. You should worry about the waves and a modified v aluminium boat.