meads910
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There is a TON of info in the "repair / mods." section about this/these very questions…Awlgrip , gelcoating , different manufacturers , "Paint vs Gelcoat" ....
There are pros and cons to each method ... not to mention personal preferences ....I would look through a few of the old threads (do the search back to mid 2002 ) and post to those threads if you come up with questions or if something’s not clear.
I think we all like the durability of gelcoat .... but a fresh painted boat (a couple recent paint jobs come to mind ... Strick's and warthog's) WOW .....