I've just investigated my kayak (took photos to send to someone who works on kayaks out in Twillingate, five hours from here) and realized that the hull has a layer of fiberglass over the wood, though I don't think the deck does.

Does this make any difference to what everyone has said about paint being appropriate, and not gelcoat?

I'm not pushing for one or the other - just want to make sure I'm not spouting ignorant misinformation when I talk to people who might repair it!

Well, no, that's not true - I assume paint is the way to go, not gelcoat! And the coating that looks like auto body paint seems totally inappropriate to a hand-made wooden boat. I want my kayak to look like what it is, a Greenland-style wood boat lovingly crafted by the Andersons twenty years ago, not a brand new sleekly machined race car!