Sandra,
Your in the right place.
I started just about where you are 3 years ago with a $50 used fiberglass boat. I patched mine with some polyester epoxy and non-woven fiberglass mat from an auto parts store. The hull may seem thin, but if you look at the undamaged sections you'll see that it was probably designed that way. A new layer of glass would add alot of weight and expense. I would patch the bad spots with polyester/glass mat (Make sure the room temp stays above 75 deg. F for the polyester to cure)and use it for awhile. If you like the way the boat feels you can work a little more on making it pretty, If not then save your money to buy or build something nicer. Any repairs you make will help develop your boat building skills for when your an addict like the rest of us.

For kayaking basics try this link from Wilderness systems: