I thank everyone that has written in. I agree that it's a learning experence, and I understand that it will get scratched up. In fact, if it doesn't, I won't be using it the right way in my opinion. For me though, it comes down to producing the highest quality I can. This is one of those problems where I have already learned a new way to make the kayak the next time, but I want to be able to find a way to fix this one. More for my own sanity. Or what's left of it.