www.iska.ie

after yhe first 5 gouges you wont notice the scratches. White gel coat filler is available but even that turns grey/white after a while. I have often wondered (too much time on my hands)about which is the optimum colour for
visibility for kayaks apart from the flourescent green and pinks. Neither of these suit my complexion.
Martin

Hi Mac, yes, I\'d definitely agree with that advice. I use gelcoat to do repairs which can be virtually invisible if done carefully and doesn\'t go grey like the filler. However, the filler is easily available.
White is standard (RAL 9016) but it\'s much more difficult to get matching gelcoat for other colours. There are a huge range of blues, reds and yellows. If you\'re going for a hull colour other than white, try to get a tub of gelcoat from the manufacturer when you buy the boat. Sea Kayaking UK (Nigel Dennis) now provide this as standard with their new boats. They have a good feature on their website to allow you to visualise the colours. Go to www.seakayakinguk.com, then \'The Kayaks\', then \'Colour Chooser\'.
Martin is right, you have to live with the colour!
He\'s also right that you come to ignore the scratches. However, it\'s really important that you repair if the damage goes through the gelcoat to the fibreglass or kevlar.
In general, dark colours show scratches more that light. Some reds fade like crazy.
If you have the dosh, keep your plastic as well - there\'s a great freedom in rock hopping.
Des Keaney

Where is the best place to pick up gel coat?
Conor

I get it from Marine & Industrial Distribution in Baldonnel. The only downside is that the minimum you can get is about a kilo pot which is quite a bit.

Mac,
As regards colours, yellow stands out best against the sea, might be important in emergencies. The fillers are only a temporary solution, while gelcoat requires an anerobic environment to set. What most sell as gelcoat for repairs is actually flowcoat, which appears to be a resin with a wax. I have bought from www.grs.ie/about.htm over the counter. They have also provided, smaller size quantities for repairs. Don\'t worry about holes, etc. paddle the boat rather than admiring it, one would be surprised what you can repair!

Geo