I have 2 johnson skiff's. I'm rebuilding 1 right now and it is my first build. I've had nothing but pleasure repairing it myself. I understand what it takes to complete repairs. I'm not afraid of doing it myself and it's not that hard. The best advice I can give you is find a local boat repair shop that will sell you resin, fiberglass cloth, ect.. so you can do repairs cheeply. You might even make a new friend that can give you good advice about your issues. I live in Orlando Fla where I can get products cheep. Also, The guys on this form have great advice on repairs. With pictures, they might be able to help with almost everything. Good luck!