Repainting a 20CC

[WillyC]

I was faced with the same decision you have. My boat had bottom paint and had been painted inside and out with cheap paint from west marine on the inside and an auto enamel on the outside. I sanded the whole boat. Outside was a major pain. Had to use 60 grit on the random orbital to get the enamel off. Like the others have said, if the paint isn't flaking off then you might be better off just priming and repainting. I was concerned about using a two part lp paint over a one part enamel so it had to come off. I used a product called Aqua Strip on the interior paint and it peeled right up. A friend has used it on bottom paint for his sailboat with 30 years of build up on it and he said it worked well. You just need to let it work all day and keep it wet by misting it with a spray bottle. Here's the floor of my boat.

I only used the stripper on the floor in the recessed groove where I couldn't get a sander in. The guy I bought the boat from did a horrible job of prepping the interior so the paint wasn't bonded all that well. I'm not sure how it would have worked on the enamel as I hadn't discovered the stripper before I sanded the outside. I can tell you that the stuff is easy to work with, not toxic and worked very well where I used it. Might be worth a try.

[Caymanboy]

If the enamel has been on for years and is not peeling off, there is a good chance you can prime over it with 2 part primer, try a patch, if it doesn't lift when it flashes chances are you are good to go.