Well, this was my first season with this boat, and the liner on the hull seems to be fine. Although, I didn't have to break through too much ice, and was fairly gentle when beaching the boat.
The liner is not as hard as an epoxy-type gel coat (as you'd find on most fiberglass hulls), but it does seem fairly durable, and may even be better at certain types of wear/tear by providing a small amount of "give"?...........but, I'm not really sure, and that's just a possible theory.
So, I'm not really sure why the previous owner applied a bed liner to the hull...........all I know is that something needed to be done, as the hull was a bright color (white or tan), which obviously doesn't do well for camo.
But, I'm wondering if the previous owner could have mixed-up some real dark-colored gel coat, or other 2-part curing coating (like a "barrier coat"). Maybe it's more expensive than the rhino lining? Or, maybe he thought other types of hull coating is too thin?