Sorry if this post is in the wrong place, but I checked out the archives and there was some stuff about repairing as well as building... so hopefully someone can help?

I'm very new to kayaks, I've been wanting one for quite some time as a lightweight alternative to my canoe, and today my boyfriend found me one at a yardsale. It's quite a mess however, there don't seem to be any holes but there are thin spots, and as you can see it's been patched many times. I have a fiberglass patch kit and I figured I'd patch the thin spots, inside and out, and then try to sand it out a little.

I was wondering if there's some sort of protective veneer that I could put over the whole outside of the kayak, to strengthen it, keep it from leaking, and maybe make it look a little better? I'm not looking for a perfect finish you can see your reflection in, or one that's meant to hold up under hardcore boating- all I'm going to use it for is paddling down the Concord river. Is there something like that, not entirely expensive that I might find at a hardware store or a Westmarine? Or something I could order online?

Also, this part is a little off-topic: how does one go about getting started with kayaking? Is there a website or a book you'd recommend? I'd just like to know some of the basics; what to call different parts of the boat, how to store it, basic paddling techniques, etc.

Thank you for any advice you might have!

~Sandra