Not all of the black paint could be stripped off which is good. I've been using it as a "guide coat," an indicator showing areas that have been sanded thoroughly when gone.
I've been outside sanding when time allows and the job has been going by quickly. So far I'm about three hours into it and 1/3 of the hull is finished.
They tell me sanding is suppose to be done with 80 grit sand paper but it took too long so I switched between that and 60 grit in some places.
The two pix below show the hull as I was stripping off the black paint in April and how it looks after sanding.
The gel coat needs to be wiped down with Pettit 95 Fiberglass Dewaxer before and after I start sanding an area.
When this boat was made a mold release was prayed in the fiberglass mold and some of it may still be on the boat. This Pettit mold release solvent will get rid of residue and many other contaminants thus helping the two part epoxy sealer I'll be using later adhere to the gelcoat.
There is a significant amount of blistering within the gel coat. Above you can see how the white didn't stick well to the blue and had to be sanded down.
Still have this side to do then I fill in holes and low spots with marine epoxy puddy and roll on a bunch of coats of two part epoxy sealer which acts as a primer for the paint.
Above is the topside bow. This aluminum was used as a frame for the vinyl. The vinyl was applied with adhesive. Years of moisture underneath the material has caused a lot of damage to the gel coat. Significant cracking all over. I've got a lot of sanding ahead of me. LOL.