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Thanks so much for the recommendation, Butch. It certainly could be that stripping the ablative paint and going back with the original gel coat would be the best option. Primarily I was looking for the easiest solution as the work will be done in my garage, although I agree that having the original hull would increase resale value.

In regards to stripping - can you recommend a chemical stripper that would act effectively on the ablative paint?

Thanks again!