Hi Peter,
> So whats the low down on painted hull kayaks. Granted, any paint will
> scratch, given a hard enough knock, but this sounds a little excessive.
> Isnt there a way to actually dye or color the epoxy rather than paint over
> it and suffer the danged chips and scratches??

If you like the look of paint over a "bright" finish, then by all means paint it. If you use the boat like you're supposed to, it will get a few scratches and dings--this means you're out enjoying it. If you're concerned with seeing the wood and fiberglass under a paint scratch, then you can use pigments in the last fill coats of epoxy. Some paint stores use "universal" colorants to tint paints. See if you can find some of the powdered type, mix it into a test batch of epoxy and see if it cures OK. If so, mix some into your fill coat, coat the hull, let it cure out, sand and paint.

You do need some paint or varnish over the epoxy/fiberglass, as epoxy generally has very poor resistance to UV light, and can break down over time. (A matter of years and years, not days or weeks!)

Shawn