One other thing. For painting, go to an auto paint shop and get an aluminum self etching primer. Way better than the boat paint sold at most box stores. I found a 2 part epoxy primer that was grass colored and stuck to my boat like nothing else, much better than duck boat paint. It is still there. It has worn off the canoe, but never flaked. That stuff went off the market because it was "hazardous", but it worked. The replacement stuff was ok (painted another boat), but not as tenacious as the original stuff.
