I see planes that are "refinished" in polyurethane. Is this different from GelCoat? I have looked at ships whose gelcoat is horrible and understand that it can cost in excess of 20K dollars to refinish properly. Is PU more durable than Gelcoat? Is one better than the other? The glass vs aluminum thing has me leaning toward aluminum big time. I don't ever expect to be competing seriously in cross country competition so a bird for local fun might be adequate.

Walt