Picked up (for free) a home-made "kayak" last summer. It has a wooden cockpit, what looks like a canvas skin, and nastily cracked paint of some sort on the canvas. VERY fragile skin, my cat (clumsy oaf!) popped a hole through the top; I found what looks like blown insulation inside the bow. My thinking is take a razor to the existing skin, check out the frame. If it looks solid, I'll go from there. If not, I'll junk it and fantasize about building my own someday... Aside from Brink's book and Putz' book (which I'll be getting from my library this weekend), does anyone have any advice before I pull out my utility razor?

Thanks in advance,

Kelly in Vermont