Dayammm Jim,     Got my heart pumping just reading your story.     

   Wahoo !     Shit,, I didn't fish once all last year.     Time to start unpacking my gear...  See y'all there.

   Here's an interesting mod someone did.     I just did some searching for video's I've done in the past and came across this for  the first time.       The Fin drive makes for a great keel.      Bixpy makes a motor that would drop into place where the Pedal drive is..     
      I've tested the Bixpy ,, liked it.        I have a Torqeedo mounted in place of the rudder.  I've been using since 09... it still works great.

         

    Why Not ?   Go for it.     If you whitewater , you probably know your limits.
 
Here's an article on Dave Lamourex
      In November 2009 the man cashed in a 157-pound bluefin, at the time the heaviest paddle-out kayak tuna—a feat that has yet to be equaled in Atlantic waters.

    https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/bluefin-tuna-kayak

   No Doubt,   
   
   Deleted the rant I almost posted... about sending more jobs to China.   Let me just say,,    #^*^&$% 

   Sink the U Boats
       
 

             
   I recently bought some land up in Mountain Ranch.    It's 14 acres of Butte Fire damaged trees.     I had a masticator crew go thru a few months ago and clear the land where I plan on building.  Now there's tons of  wood  on the ground ,, it'll just rot if not harvested.   I hate seeing it all go to waste.   

    If anyone is in need of firewood there's a lot of great burning Oak available.   Some is already cut into rounds, it splits easily with a Maul...   A lot of trees still standing,  all of it is well seasoned  Black Oak. 
  All of it is easily accessible..     

    Have you tried acetone  to remove the paint ?      I have had success putting parts in a bucket with a lid on it.   just a small amount of acetone.  The fumes seem to soften and melt away the paint. 
   I'd contact the anodizier and ask them if they have a suggestion.     It might not be an issue.   

      Don't heat the slab after pouring the epoxy.  reverse of that.    You need to warm the wood up first, then mix and apply the epoxy letting it slowly cool back down.     Warm the epoxy during the mix.  The warmer it is the faster it will set up..
 Reason for this to prevent bubbles.     
 That cooling down phase will draw the epoxy into the wood.   Of course not cool down to below the curing temp.   

     To get that fine texture you're looking for, rather than sanding it you may consider using " Peel Ply cloth" .    Once cured the cloth will peel off,, leaving an imprint from the cloth.    ( that cloth is a super fine weave )       

    You could do a light first coat to impregnate the wood,, then the second coat using the  Peel Ply...
  Or even top coat a brush / spray on  a satin finish of  varnish.

    I've had epoxy set under colder temps   ( 60's ),, it just takes much longer to cure. Avoid if possible.  70 should be no problem.

   Also remember you can fill that crack with  sanding dust and epoxy mixed into a paste.   for color match... 

     https://epoxycraft.com/top-tips-best-ways-to-use-epoxy/using-peel-ply-to-best-effect/

 Good luck !   sounds like a fun project