: Lots of people have tried tooth picks. It is a lot of work for very little
: benefit. The end grain of the picks appears just about as dark as the
: staple hole.

: Once the wood fibers are broken there is very little you can do to make the
: holes disappear. Swelling the wood with hot water may make them smaller,
: but they will still be visible.

: The only way to eliminate the appearance of holes in the boat is to avoid
: them in the first place and don't use staples. If you make the holes, your
: best bet is to just learn to like them. They really aren't so bad. They
: are there for a legitimate reason and are an honest artifact of the
: construction.

Thankyou all, I used the wet timber idea & it worked quite well reducing the holes by about 40-50%, it even completely took out some bruising in a couple of places. I used the heat gun on a medium setting after letting the timber soak for a few minutes.
I experimented with the toothpicks on some scrap timber & you're right, it didn't look all that flash particularly against the different coloured timbers I have.
I wasn't going to use staples at all on the deck but they're just so easy & convenient.
I don't mind the look of the filled holes under the finish, but I'll experiment with some different coloured sanding dust to get a better result than on the hull.

Glen G