[Public-list] Bottom Job

[Roger L Kingsland]

Albergers,

In asking about "careening ship," I forgot to ask the more important question.  How do I do a bottom job?  The deck and topsides are ready for paint.  I have gotten down to the gel coat a few inches below the boot stripe and discovered a total of about one square foot of blisters.  I don't know if this means I should expect more or the hull is in good shape.  Is it customary to sand blast everything then refinish the hull or should I take less drastic measures?  It was quite a chore getting the few inches of bottom paint off in the area of the waterline.  I used several coats of stripper and still had to do allot of sanding.  I would appreciate any suggestions, particularly "how to" reference material.

Thanks

Roger 148