Last August just prior to loading my boat on the truck for an out of state trip I had my S&G boat sitting next to a big tree in my yard when a big gust of wind came along. To make a long story short, a 6" diameter limb crashed down on it passing through the cockpit and out through the bottom. The resulting hole is about about one foot square. The rear hatch was destroyed and another hole was punched just behind the cockpit. Refusing to let this mishap ruin our paddling plans in the Adirondacks (we were taking my wifes boat too), I cut two pieces of 1/4" plywood, put them inside the hull covering the hole (under the seat) and stapled them in place after which I sealed the whole thing up with a couple of layers of duct tape (not grey, black because it's classier looking).
I'm finally getting around to fixing the boat and I plan to patch the bottom, make a new hatch and possibly put a day hatch in the spot behind the cockpit where the smallest hole is. As much as I like the bright finish of the boat I'm thinking of painting the hull and leaving the deck bright....I've seen pictures of some very nice looking boats finished this way. If you have pictures of boats finished like this please post them to help me make a decision. I think a off white would look nice but wonder what a dark color might look like. My boat is the dark one.