With all due respect, a friend of mine completely re-gel coated his bass boat. He sprayed it on the outside of the boat.

If it doesn't gel there isn't much point in calling it gelcoat, it is basically paint. There are manufacturers who sell stuff they call gelcoat that includes additives that allow it to dry hard outside of a mold but this is turning it into a poor paint. These products are not designed to cure to a smooth surface like a good quality paint is, they designed to be sprayed on thick and then sanded and buffed to a smooth gloss.

It is possible to turn gelcoat into a paint, but when you want a paint, your are probably better off using paint.

A good quality paint is designed to be applied as a final finish coat in a fairly thin and light layer.

Maybe I'm picking nits but its like oars and paddles, a paddle is not an oar. Each can be used for the other purpose but there is a reason they are different. Putting a paddle in an oar lock doesn't mean you have a good oar. Joy wants paint.