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First, you may want to remove the existing ablative pain. It is designed to wear away and may not be a good base for a decorative paint. I would not put an epoxy paint over it.

As you are a novice painter epoxy paint may not be a good learning candidate. I believe a coat or two of a good topside marine paint may be a good choice for your boat.

If it was my boat I would chemically remove the ablative paint and restore the bottom gel coat. A fine grit sandpaper followed by rubbing compound, polish and finally wax should have it gleaming better than new.

A 15 foot bottom will do quickly and in the long run be well worth the effort. When the time comes to sell the 15 you will realize a quicker or more profitable sale of a fresh water boat with no bottom paint. Many buyers are suspicious of a fresh water boat with bottom paint as it may be hiding a repair.