: I guess they all have to go at some time.......

From the pix it looks like that time is still way off. Looks like a 30 minute patch job, not a funeral.

If there is a broken stringer or two install a splint to hold the pieces in place. That is just a piece of wood a foot long or so buttered on one edge with glue, and held in place with a few screws. Drill pilot holes for the screws and the parts will draw together as the screws are tightened.

You can open the stitching on the skin if you want to, but I'd not bother. Drive the screws through skin, stringer, and splint. Once the glue on the splint hardens you can remove the screws and slap patches on the skin to cover the holes.

It looks like there is enough good stitching still there to hold the existing skin on. You just need to re cap the ends.

If you made a couple square feet of patch material when you painted the skin you can just apply this with contact cement, or rubber cement used as a contact cement. If you don't have patch material on hand just paint some scrap cloth to waterproof it -- as you did with original skin.

If the original skin is precoated or vinyl ust use contact cement or a vinyl cement.
Trim the rough fabric off the damaged ends, hit the roughened wood with a sanding block to remove splinters, paint on some contact cement and wrap on patches.

A little touch up paint and you can paddle this for several years more.

Doctor, the patient only broke a few ribs and cut some skin. The spine is still strong and the heart is intact. Call a code, get the crash cart and don't call the funeral director yet.

For encouragement you might want to dig in the archives for pictures of the mess Pruden made of his boat when he challenged a dam. Quite a difference between the 'before' and 'after'.

Good luck with these repairs. Don't go overboard with them--original build was 'quick and easy' so keep repairs the same. Consider it experience for when you need to make repairs in the field.

PGJ