re: Anyone on here ever refreshed their gel coat?

Aqua Buff 1000
Aqua Buff 2000
Wax with Rejex when done

Keep the Aqua Buff wet while doing it.
Twisted wool pad.

You can bring it back to new. On higher end boats, the gel coat is as thick as a credit card- so there is plenty material to work with.

Just know Aqua Buff 1000 is pretty aggressive- you may not need to start that rough.

For the most part, you can likely avoid a full wet sand with it.