New here and need some help.

[Christopher]

Hi all,
I have been out of boating for a very long time. I just received a 1968 Century Buccaneer 24 foot inboard. This is my first fiberglass boat. It has several coats of bottom paint on it that must be removed. Now the last time with my wooden boats I would just sand it down. Is this OK or do I need to strip it with a stripper. Also I would like to remove the plywood deck and replace it with a teak plywood deck. If I do this can I oil the plywood or do I have to varnish it. Lastly is their any source for finding info on this boat? I would like to find a trailer for it but I don't have any clue how much it weighs. Thanks Chris:)

[Noah's]

You can sand your bottom paint, but for several coats a stripper formulated for fiberglass would be easier.
I don?t think it is a good idea to use Teak plywood on a deck as the veneer is very thin and will not stand up to repeated stripping. If you really want a teak deck epoxy down 3/16? strips of solid teak, sand smooth, and then you can oil.

[vtwarthog]

The replaced the bottom paint on my last two fiberglass boats by sandblasting the bottom. It worked quite well.
I still had to rough up the surface more in preparation for paint. Clean with acetone, fill any pin holes/blisters, acetone again, then 2 to 4 coats of barrior coat paint, and 2-3 coats of
abalative bottom paint. I used interlux micron CSC paint.