[Paddlewise] Plastic Boat Repair

Hello...

My plastic boat is getting a little roughed up on the hull.  No gouges or
deep scrapes to speak of, but light scrathes and scuffing.

1) I'm assuming that it would eventually effect the speed and manuverability
of the boat due to increased friction against the water.  At my skill level,
it's negligable, but for educational purposes, I'd think that you'd want to
do something with the scraches, correct?

2) Okay, based on question #1 - do what?  It's not like a car that you can
buff, there's nothing deep to fill in, etc.  Is there some sort or kayak wax
or something to smooth it out?  Better yet, being plastic, what would happen
if I very carefully heated the hull with a heat gun just enough to melt the
surface so that it would smooth itself out and cool down within a few
seconds of removing the heat? 

Any advice or corrections to my logic would be appreciated.

Rick (...Virginia)

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