[sbrumund]

The Gel Coating reffered to is not a liquid or paste but a thin hard layer of plastic that is placed on the surface of fiberglass composit parts to improve the appearence.

When a fiberglass canoe is made a thin gel, an appearanece coat of colored resin, is put on the mold first followed by layers of glass and resin. This gives the outside of the canoe its nice appearance. On the inside you can see the cloth or fibers used to give it strength. The gel coat is usually hard and brittle and breaks easily without the fiber backing.