Stripping and re-painting?

[fbpd227]

Ok, I am lost here....I have an '85 Checkmate Enchanter I bought and have been slowly rebuilding- and need some input on the best/ proper way to strip off old paint ( someone painted over the gel coat and did a terrible job prepping before painting- so it's bubbling all over ) and then re-painting the boat ( deck this year- maybe hull next year- but the hull is still factory gel coat- so should be a bit more straight forward ). I can assume I will need to samd- but is there some kind of stripper- SAFE for use over the gel coat underneath that I can use to make the job go a bit quicker? Then- after the deck is stripped- what would be the best choice for a primer- this will actually bond with the gel coat so the paint will have a chance ( obviously the wipe down abd tacking will be completed MUCH better than the previous owner did - so it won't bubble again! And as far as top coat paint...base coat- clkear coat? or a combined product with the color and clear mixed? or straight enamel, or what? TOTALY lost here. I know this is a big job/ undertaking- but the end result will be worth it for many years to come- so do it right ONCE! Thanx guys for the help!

[hemi2005]

I'm no pro ,but I've done a few boats and cars too.
I use a 5" random orbital sander with 220 grit to get all of the cheap clear off. Then go back over with 400 grit ( I wet sand ). Then spray an epoxie primer, base coat (2 or 3 coats), then clear coat (3 or more coats ) especially if your going to color sand and buff. Just my .02 cents.