Gelcoat Removal ... & My Intro/First Post

[Motor_Boat_Boi]

Hello All,

New to the forum and new Seacraft Owner.

I've been lurking on this site and others all while dreaming of restoring my own SC and finally found one within my budget and in need of some TLC.

She's a 1973 SF20 (Hull #55 I believe?) and seems to be unmolested with the exception of a 5" raise to the transom some time ago to accommodate a repower to 25" shaft outboard. A 1990 Yamaha 200 2stroke.

The transom rebuild seems to be good work but i haven't cut her open yet. I purchased the boat from the marina where she's been dry docked for 20+ years, also where the transom work was done long ago and where it was on consignment when i purchased her.

Met the previous owner who shared he did the bare minimum with regards to upkeep and repairs and the current state of the boat reflects this methodology.

On to my dumb questions where I'm hoping to hear from any of the subject matter experts here to set me straight.

The hull has visible osmosis in so many places both below and WAY above the waterline, the gelcoat from the transom repair is failing where it meets up with the existing gelcoat and all the seacocks were poorly patched. So in short, the entire boat needs sanded, repaired and faired back to her original glory. I plan to paint the hull once done with the restoration at this time.

With this I'm considering of removing all of the gelcoat (via GelPeel) from the hull down to glass. This is fairly standard with sailboat restorations taking the gelcoat down to glass but I cannot find much online where folks are doing this with smaller sport fishing boats. THE QUESTION: AM I CRAZY TO DO THIS TO MY SC?

I'm aware and excited about all the additional fairing and sanding needed to bring the hull back, I'm just looking for some honest opinions on whether or not I should remove all the gelcoat to prevent any future osmosis on the hull once restored?

I believe I'm almost fully decided on West Sys as my Epoxy brand of choice below the waterline = 422 barrier coat.

With that comes my next dumb question: Am I crazy to do a barrier coat on the entire hull vs just up to my waterline?

I see so many using 2 different barrier coats or primers both above and below the waterline. What are the pros/cons for using a single product as a barrier coat to cover the entire hull?

I look forward to any feedback, positive and/or negative for any of the crazy things I've outlined here. This forum is full of legends and I want to learn from you all, much respect.

Thx in advance.