Hi Phil A couple of years ago, I decided to strip all the old paint off the bottom of our Grand Banks 36 about 12 years worth of various paint systems. I used a scrapper with a 14" handle and a 2 1/2" blade and kept a file handy to sharpen the blade often. I was amazed at how easy it was to remove all the paint layers right down to the barrier coat in one stroke. It took me about a day and a half to completely strip all the old paint off and then do a light sand on the bottom. A good wash with fresh water and I was ready to repaint again. The scrappings were easy to sweep up and did not create a dust all over the place. Cheers Al Binnington GB 36 FALKOR Guelph, Ontario That's a good sugestion take it a step further and pick up a carbide scraper amazing what they will remove and stay sharp an awfull long time. Home Depot's got them ---------- Caution! Paint scrapers only work well on relatively flat surfaces. If your boat has nice convex or concave surfaces on the hull, you are in danger of gouging the surface. I second Bob Austin's recommendation to get the hull professionally soda blasted. It may cost more but it's worth it. Larry Z