Is there a good webpage or book that describes re-painting and fixing the top-coat (gel-coat) of the glass for somebody who knows nothing about the whole process?
Here You Go…
http://atlantickayaktours.com/Pages/ExpertCenter/Repairs/Gel-Repair/Gel-Coat-Repair-1.shtml
Dude… Is there a Mako in your future? I can’t believe it… Ask and ye shall receive. 
In the last two months, 3 of the Northern NE surf kayakers have upgraded to/or gotten dedicated composite surf boats. Way fast, way cool.
sing
Also you could Google for OCD support
groups. I’ll bet in five years you won’t even notice what you want badly to fix right now.
We’ll see
– Last Updated: Nov-12-04 11:10 PM EST –
have not closed the deal yet. I was going to buy this boat last year but he did not bring it to the expression session.
I'm trying not to get too excited in case it does not work out. I got my wife's approval which sort of shocked me. I think it came from building a rack for stacking all our water toys in the garage.
P.S. Thanks for the link this is exactly what I am looking for.
Obsessive Compulsive ?
nah , not about appearances anyway.
Actually I may be buying a used surf kayak that had some nose repairs and I am thinking about redoing the nose paint job so it would look like a P-51 mustang cowling from my Dad’s 8th Airforce Fighter Group. He’s passed away and it kind of struck me as a way to share the experience.
Sharing The Ride
I think that’s a cool idea. My father never had the time to do sports, working six days/week, 12 hours/day. I often think of him though when I do stuff with my boys and thank him for making it possible.
sing
wenonah video
Wenonah sells a video that covers a range of repairs on composite boats, including gelcoat repairs. It focuses on canoes so it has a lot of stuff you probably aren’t interested in, but the parts that deal with repairing composite boats and doing gelcoat repairs is useful for kayaks as well. You can buy the video directly from Wenonah. It’s listed in the accessories section of their website.
http://wenonah.com/
Gelcoat and glass repair pics
I’ve got Webshots albums on both subjects at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom
Although there are also some restoration pics there, they’re only applicable to boats with thick gelcoat, such as most British boats.
If a boat needs extensive refinishing, you’re generally better off to use high-build primer and wet sanding to level the surface, then apply a good marine paint to create a pretty finish. Interlux Britesides is commonly used for this purpose. CLC has some good “roll and tip” painting instructions on their web site. www.clcboats.com
Hey thanks for the help everybody.
Better help here in two minutes than anywhere else I know of.
Call me Seadart if you wish.