I'd like to start a debate on blister repair methods. My point is this - We all would like a nice smooth bottom on the boat. Unfortunately, the cost for this if you have a badly blistered boat is around $125 - $175 per foot to peel and redo bottom. There seems to be an increasing amount of evidence that most blistering of the "boat pox" (small blisters that only appear in the surface of the gelcoat, not penetrating the laminate below) are of little structural consequence and repair methods may be problimatical at best, particuarly on older boats. So, what would be a reasonable course of action if you have an older boat that suits your purposes, but you have to keep in the water, so it has to be periodically repainted? Is it better to sand or soda blast the bottom before painting to open up the blisters, or just wash it well, sand a bit, and then put another coat of antifouling on. That appears to be what the owner of my current boat did for years, and it seems to have worked ok - I am sure I am giving up a little boat speed, but it really doesn't seem to matter that much. By the way, the paint seems to stick and work well between seasons this way, and it is certainly cheaper than the $4-5K do redo the bottom. Has anybody else taken the cheap way out with non-structural blisters, or is everyone peeling and redoing their bottom when the boat pox appears?