advice on a fiberglass canoe restoration project

I have a 15 foot fiberglass canoe that has been sitting unused for over a decade. It has around half a dozen holes ( the largest being the size of a baseball... and actually caused by a baseball) or weak spots and the gel coat is cracked almost every few inches. The metal frame and overall structure of the boat seems to be unharmed, but I am worried that the restoration project may be more intense than it is worth. I have a week off from work and college and have my resin, fiberglass mat, and fiberglass cloth. Just based on my desire to be more thorough and efficient than cheap and easy, I was wondering if it would be best to line the entire body of the canoe with a layer of fiberglass cloth after I repair the holes or if it would be enough to just repair the holes and sand down and paint the body.

Any advice or cautions you have for me would be extremely appreciated as this is my first attempt at any fiberglass work or anything having to do with boat/canoe repair. I have no idea how to insure the overall strength of the canoe or if the need to reinforce it will be necessary.

I would love to repair this old canoe as it has been in my family for a few decades, not to mention I would much rather spend about 150 dollars to repair this canoe than spend hundreds on a new canoe.

outdoorjunkie

 

Spend the $150 on another canoe. This one is likely beaten to death by UV damage.

 

Metal frame on a fibreglass canoe is a strange combination.

Got any pictures ?

 

It might be one of those PVC things, in which case the 'glass repairs will not work anyway. Without pictures, it's tough to tell. I'm betting the resin has "cooked off" from long term exposure and there's not much left except the fabric anyway.