Can you tell us what kind of material the kayak is made of? Older boats of this type were made using polyester/fiberglass. The newer ones are made with epoxy/fiberglass...or polyethelene. I'm not certain but I think you can use epoxy to repair and recoat a polyester boat, but not vice versa. Once you have it repaired and sanded then you can use a marine paint, varnish, or two part urethane to help protect it and make it pretty. You'll need to provide more specific information before we can tell you more specific measures to take. There are many fine sites on the internet that can help you find more about kayaks, canoeing, etc. Simply use a search engine like google, type in what you are wanting to find and surf away. This site (by Nick Schade) is just plumb full of all kinds of information. Depending on where you live you might find organizations and clubs around that can help you. And...if you need more information, especially about kayaking and canoeing in Texas you can simply drop me an email through my site below, or use the address from this post...same thing. I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses. Have fun.