Sabre 36 Gel Coat

I dont know about the gelcoat on the boat in question.

Some high end boats did have a serious gelcoat problem in the late 90's, (not totally sure about the year). I think Viking and Post sued the gelocat provider.

I would not recommend repairing with paint, it will cover the tiny cracks for a short time and the condition will reappear.
If the problem is everywhere, you can try sanding, a high quality build primer, and use a two part epoxy coating. I would grind out places where it is the worst first. This would be a big job, in most cases best done by a qualified yard
If you are dealing with a few spider cracks around screw holes or railings, you can grind out or use a church key to scrape out the crack into a "v" shape and then color match with gelcoat. This would be an easier job that could be done by the owner with some limited skills. The hardest part is matching the color,

good luck
RT46

I agree with what he said about repairing the gelcoat if it's some small areas and everything.

However, I am involved with some of the Posts and Vikings that had this issue and they were re-paired with a total Awlgrip paint job. After many years (5+) there are no signs of the cracking coming through anywhere. So if the gelcoat is prepped right, it's ok to paint over it. I don't know the scope of what was done, but I think sanding the cracks out, using the appropriate filler and primer and painting should be fine.

I agree with proper prep and two part paint you should be good to go.

I was referring to one part paints that i would not use for this type of repairs.

It usually gets to a point and stops.

get an estimate to have it fixed.
You pick the yard or contaractor to get the estimate from, not the broker.

then subtract that amount off your final offer.

you are in control, not the broker.

good luck,
RT