I have to agree that nothing is worse for equipment than long term sun/UV exposure. For that I do feel better with a couple coats of paint. I also keep a cockpit cover on the kayak whenever it's cartopped to reduce the exposure inside the cockpit. I enjoy building, but a lot of work goes into the kayaks, and I want them to last as long as possible. Amazingly, my two oldest and most used wood/glass kayaks, including my beater, were built in 2004, and thanks to minor repairs, they have practically no wear and tear.