> Painted on a coat of good quality Sikkens Yacht enamel on my
> kayak hull then noticed a few pits and dips. Imperfections that I
> couldn't live with. Thought to myself, I really don't want to get
> that epoxy fairing compound out again, I'll just wetsand the boat
> and get some good auto spot putty (which I did) and prime with auto
> primer. (All to save mixing and long drying time). Then I'll wetsand
> and reenamel maybe... 2 more coats... instead of one?. Have I committed
> a major blunder? (This is like saying "please say no I haven't!")
> Thanks heaps to Paul J. and Nick and others who helped me out
> in the past with my fussy finishing questions!

Dana: Two questions first: Does the boat float? Does it leak? If the answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is no, then I can answer your question about auto body filler very simply: It doesn't matter right now. (Come to think of it, if the boat does leak, and doesn't float, then it still doesn't matter - You have bigger problems to fix first.) In a year or two you can look at the hull and see for yourself. Until then, have fun, paddle, and enjoy your boat. During normal use it will suffer some normal wear. When it comes time to repair that normal wear you can go over the hull inch by inch and examine the spots you used body filler. If they held up, use more to fix the nre problems. If it didn't hold up, you'll have a good reason to replace them at the same time you make the other fixes.

There is a question about the durability of some brands of fillers when subjected to immersion. If your boat is in the water too much some fillers may soften, swell, or just fall out. You will aosl get more scratches in your finish the more you use the boat. If you don't use the boat that much, the same fillers may be protected by the paint and look great-- and you won't have many scratches to fix, either.

Hope this helps. Paul Jacobson