$.02
Posted by: LeeG on Sep-23-12 4:30 AM (EST)
You could build a new hull for labor involved in finishing this one. If as you say it hasn't been epoxy sealed or glassed then you're finishing a degraded work, you aren't restoring it to an improved condition. Without access to the interior you could be sealing the exterior leaving the interior to continue degrading, which it will once water gets inside. Plywood only works as a boat material if it's totally sealed up, without complete access to the inside you're essentially putting a plastic skin over a sponge, it won't work in the long run. I wonder if it actually has an epoxy coat and what you're seeing is everything from moldy ply to degraded epoxy and varnish.
The labor cutting new hatches to seal the very ends inside (good luck with that) will get closer to the total labor of a new S&G kayak with new materials.
The Queen Charlotte is a maneuverable big boat good for 200+ lb person, there are other kayaks I'd build for the time and money spent.