: 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.

Just patch on the inside unless you can see an actual depression on the outside where something may have been scraped away.

Nobody looks at the inside of your boat, so the patches will be less obvious. And, by NOT putting patches on the outside of the boat you keep the hull smoother, so there is less drag and less resistance to your paddling.

: 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?

You have a few choices. The first, and simplest, is boat paint. There are a number of varieties available at boating suplly stores and their online web sites. Look for a "Topside" paint which is designed to bond to fiberglass. Prepare the boat by sanding as the directions on the can specify, and if they say to use a primer, then get the right stuff. A pint of primer should be enough, and a quart of paint should give you enough for two or maybe even three coats. If you are in doubt about a color, go with white. It is never out of style.

By the way, you will see hull paints designed for use under water. You don't want these. They are for boats which spend their life in the water and need to repel barnacles, so they contain toxins which slowly leach out. The topside paints are waterproof and extremely durable, and perfectly suited for boats which are removed from the water after use -- even if it doesn't say so on the can.

Paint hides all the signs of use and age.

Other coatings you can use:

1) Polyester based resin. This provies a hard surface and is fairly inexpensive. You can buy this at autobody shops, too. Be sure to get the type which is NOT for laminating. Polyester won't cure to a hard surface in the presence of air, which is great when you need to build up many layers, but this is a mess when you want to finish things , so they make a version which has a wax dissolved in it. The wax rises to the surface as the polyester resin cures, sealing the resin film from air and promoting a hard surface cure. This type of material would need to be sanded (to remove the wax layer) before applying additional coats of material.

2) Epoxy resin. Sand lightly and apply this. It is not particularly resistant to UV light, so you'll want to coat it with a UV absorbing varnish. Most outdoor spar varnishes will work fine. If you have actual weak spots this is the ideal material for reinforcing them when combined with a patch of fiberglass cloth. Check the archives of this board for tips on how to patch wood strip boats. The technique is the same.

3) OR, forget the epoxy, and just put on the varnish after giving the boat a light sanding. Polyurethane varnishes are becoming popular, but the less expensive varieties will work fine. Again, read the instructions on the can. Put the first coat on very thin if you can. Sometimes the first coat of varnish on fibreglass takes longer to dry and harden. Later coats dry faster. Sand very lightly between coats. Better to put on several coats which are so thin that they are barely there than to spend time sanding out the runs that develop in thicker coatings.

: 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?

Head to the library and get all the books they have on the subject. Read them. They should have addresses of national organizations which can refer you to local paddling groups. Check the periodicals section at the library and at the local bookstores and groceries and you'll find a few kayak magazines. Buy a copy and peruse the ads.

If you can't find kayak groups look for canoe groups. A lot of canoeists do both, but the canoe groups may have a longer history in a given area.

Hope this helps

PGJ