I guess why I am thinking gelcoat is because the bottoms have a 1/2 to 1-1/2 inch stripe where beaching has taken all the gelcoat off. What are my options for sealing this up with a tough scratch resistance finish?

Wet sanding and vertiglas sounds interesting though. Would this make painting or gelcoating a problem in the future?

Responses have me leaning toward spraying awlgrip or wet sanding followed with ????.

Thanks for all the help!