Still can’t believe I fell for this, but the rest of the boat was absolutely flawless! While conducting post-purchase cleaning and detailing, decided to remove the “I paddled the Outer Banks” sticker on the rear deck (didn’t apply to me, so why invite questions). Lo and behold, a dime-sized repair reared its ugly head! Wouldn’t really have kept me from buying the boat anyhoo, but annoyed me never-the-less. I can usually spot a repair a mile away, but I must be getting old and senile. I will convince myself that seller must have made the repair so long ago, he probably forgot about it!
Good tip. Something I wouldn’t have thought to question.
Dime sized, rear deck, might have been a small negotiation point.
Did it on my own boat reflective tape
Looks better than duct tape. However they make duct tape in many colors now.
The very first week I had my new Epic 18x kayak a passing thunderstorm spawned a few short moments of intensely crazy wind gusts that hit the beach, while I was standing next to my kayak. It completely picked the lightweight and unladen kayak up, I stupidly (but valiantly) tried to catch it, and then I had to duck as my spanking-new kayak cartwheeled and careened over my head and it smacked into an old cypress tree with a sickening thud and crash. The fix? A good piece of Solas tape on the bow 
While you must appease your own sense of cosmetics vs function vs perfection, may I suggest you find a meaningful sticker of your choice and cover it, and paddle it for your remaining days and forget about it. Or, you could create a masterful fix and cover the damage, but it won’t be any faster nor really any stronger, but maybe you will feel better about it. These things do go deeper than simple practicality and you have to follow your “demons”.
This advise sounds oddly like excerpts from Zen and the art of kayak (and canoe) maintenance…
Greg
@gstamer said:
While you must appease your own sense of cosmetics vs function vs perfection, may I suggest you find a meaningful sticker of your choice and cover it, and paddle it for your remaining days and forget about it. Or, you could create a masterful fix and cover the damage, but it won’t be any faster nor really any stronger, but maybe you will feel better about it. These things do go deeper than simple practicality and you have to follow your “demons”.
This advise sounds oddly like excerpts from Zen and the art of kayak (and canoe) maintenance…
Greg
Unfortunately I suffer from a case of terminal OCD, and undoubtedly will spend the summer mixing paint samples to match the gelcoat color in an effort to restore the boat to perfection…not to worry, tho’ she will be paddled as well.
Yup. A little rust spot on the top tube of my road bike hides behind a sticker. The sticker is a dinosaur. T. Rex of course.
Agree… do battle with your OCD and find a meaningful sticker of your own.
C’est la vie!
@Rex said:
Agree… do battle with your OCD and find a meaningful sticker of your own.
Regrettably, I will pass on all the sage advice concerning stickers. And I would hope that all those who profess such activity would have the courtesy to alert prospective buyers of their boats (in the event they should put them up for sale) that beneath such decorative bling is a repair, whether crude or meticulously done.
I have a kayak or two to sell. One has a scuffed hull. Maybe I’ll cover the entire hull with decals. Maybe start a new fad.
My boats bear their scars proudly. They didn’t get bthem sitting on a rack.
Sometimes a sticker can hide damage that will only get worse with continued use. With a wood or glass boat the wound may let moisture penetrate into the structure and eventually weaken it causing soft spots.
Cosmetic damage is one thing but best to repair it if it might lead to structural damage.
I had a bubble in the gelcoat of my black/gold Bell Northstar about 2 inches long and half an inch wide so I put a piece of black electrical tape over it so it was almost invisible. But when I sold the boat I did show the guy and he bought the boat anyway.
When you scratch the clear gelcoat on a black/gold Bell the scratches can really stand out. I’ve gotten 2 great deals on used Bells where the owner was too worried about a few minor scratches. I was told that one can use black Kiwi shoe polish to hide the scratches. I’m not sure if that is cheating or not, I’ve never tried it.