I'm not qualified to answer the question about paint v. gelcoat. But everybody seems, for some reason, going the Awlgrip route. We just had #41 Awlgripped, and it turned out really well. Another interesting question is spraying Awlgrip versus rolling it on. We had ours rolled, and it turned out beautifully. I have heard some people claim that rolling it on produces a glossier finish than spraying. Also I have heard that there is somewhat of a learning curve in rolling technique (from the guy who painted our boat). I looked at 5 or 6 boats rolled by our painter, Tim Sarns, and his earliest ones weren't as good as his more recent ones. Rolling the topsides should be less expensive than spraying and isn't as hazardous. I don't know about gelcoat.