: NOTE: i wash my boats with fresh water and store out of sun so plain old
: enamel paint was fine. Would consider some decent marine paint with good
: UV protection if I couldn't store out of sun.

Thanks everyone for the posts. I'm definitely giving up the gel coat idea - I'd read a bit last night and it seems like it's way more than I'm in for.

I priced out Interlux Brightside paint and Pre-kote primer. It looks like I'd have about $150 in paint (priced from WestMarine.com) and surface preparation. When you say "plain old enamel paint" - you simply mean exterior paint, like you would use for a house; correct?

I would be able to store the boat out of the sun and it would only ever see light use in calm lakes. Do you have any idea how the boat's paint has held up after use?

And finally - any idea for seating options? I'd like to find some kind of seat that I can simply drop in. Say something like the seats that go in rec. boats by Wilderness Systems or Old Town.

I'm still kicking this all around. Any thoughts & opinions are welcome.

-Doug