Hello all,

I recently obtained a kayak on the cheap, from CL, and have some questions. It is a fiberglass sit inside kayak. The kayak currently has what appears to be expandable foam in front and back, i assume for buoyancy. i've read that this foam can hold water and is not ideal. so question #1: should i remove this foam? i took the kayak out this morning and it doesn't track incredibly well (from a novices perspective) could this be due the the kayak sitting higher in the water than necessary? Next there is no seat, i know that openings aren't standardized and was curious what was the best way to go about fitting a seat to this kayak. Finally there has been some repairs done, and not the most spectacular paint touch up, should i sand and seal whats there with a clear coat, or repaint? what are some good primers/paints/varnishes you've had success with? I understand these are pretty generic questions, i've included some pics to give a better idea ALBUM: http://imgur.com/a/R2F0D
To Recap
1) should the expandable foam be removed, will this improve tracking?
2) Replacement seat advice, is fiberglass the only way to go? is there some sort of drop in seat i could buy off the shelf?
3) Should the yak be repainted, or sealed? I know gel coat is typical but may be a bit cost prohibitive so what varnishes would you recommend? i have access to paint sprayers or am fine using rollers if thats a better method of application for kayaks.

Thanks for any input.