Removing old paint can be a real pain... but there are some tricks that can shorten the job. Let chemistry be your friend here.
HOMEMADE PEEL-AWAY:
Take a 5 lb bag of garden lime (Lowes) and about four cups of potassium (or sodium) hydroxide ... canning lye is a good source or drain-o. Put the lime and lye in a 5 gallon PVC bucket and add just enough water (with stirring) to get a melted peanut butter consistancy. Use a roller on a pole to role this onto the bottom paint and let it dry hard (over night). Pressure wash and 90% of the paint will flake off. If you want to be environmentally friendly, lay down an old sheet under the boat before you pressure wash and the sheet will filter the pressure wash water and collect the flakes of bottom paint. Ball up the sheet and dispose of it in a suitable way.
DO NOT GET THIS STUFF IN YOUR EYES! Wear goggles.
I've done this with several boats. There are always one or two spots where the paint just adheres and won't peel off with this trick. So I paint those spots with citrus strip (also Lowes) and scrape off those last few spots with a hand scrapper. Sometimes a second run with the peel-away helps but usually those tough spots need a more agressive formulation.
At this point you will have a nice clean bottom with only gel coat. Pop any blisters if they are there... lighly sand and presssure wash again. Fill in the popped blisters, gouges and dings with thickened epoxy (I like Jamestwon Distributors). Sand the repairs smooth and wash one more time. Let it dry a week and then put two or more coats of epoxy barrier coat over the bottom. If you want to save a little money on barrier coat, James T Davis or Sherwin Williams paint stores carry epoxy barrier coat paint designed for swimming pools. I have used it on two of my previous boats with absolutly no problems. It is cheaper than anything with the word Marine on the label and also has UV inhibitors already mixed in.
Hope this saves you some elbow greace.
