Previous Owner Painted the Gelcoat - What to do?

Ouch!
Well, an oxidized surface will generally create a pretty good bond. Oxidation yields a similar result as sanding.
If paint scrapes off easily it’s likely due to lack of cleaning prep.
That said, trying to sand it off would not be advised. In order to sand it effectively you have to sand it flat and you’d inevitably cut into or through some of the original thin gel coat on the filon trying to get all the “new” paint off. This would even be somewhere between difficult and impossible to not have happen even if it was smooth sheetmetal like on an auto.
I’d start with testing several methods, knowing that the gel underneath is relatively impervious to most solvents and that minor scratches can be sanded and polished out. And you’d be cutting and polishing the whole thing anyway if you successfully remove the **** you’re trying to remove.
Prolly don’t know what it was painted with but you can hope it is something cheap and not so solvent resistant since the POs so thoughtfully painted it with paint brushes…
Id first test increasingly strong solvents to see if you find something that will soften/melt the paint. Lacquer thinner, toluene, acetone, paint recucer, mek. Roughly in that order from weaker to stronger. But verify.
If you can do some careful scraping of the areas not bonded well (heat helps too, careful application of a heat gun or propane torch) you might get a good portion of it off by mechanical means only. Note gel coat will withstand a decent amount of heat but goes from good to burnt yellow pretty quick. So you need to have the right touch.
With any luck it’s some old latex house paint and heat should peel it.
If they actually used some decent automotive type paint, you have a bigger chore.
If you do a bunch of testing and find out it’s not plausible then I think vinyl wrap is a great option. Remove whatever can be scraped off. Feather sand around those areas, flat sand any nasty brush marks and you’re ready for a wrap.
Wrap will telegraph any imperfections though.
But you can save the graphics if you’re good with laying down pinstripe tape. You can outline the graphics in knifeless tape just like you would around the windows and such. And wrap isn’t too hard to do on flat surfaces.

Good luck!

That’s how I’d attack it anyways. And remember prep is 90% of the work and importance.
Any screw ups or laziness in prep can/will make the best paint job worthless.

If they painted over the graphics you may be able to remove the graphic with plastic chisels that won't ruin or scratch the gelcoat. I would take it to an automotive "wrap" shop and let them make new graphics for it.

Well he said they did not paint the graphics.
You might try a plastic scraper, or 800 grit paper, very carfully.
Maybe take it to a body shop and see what they recommend first.

I doubt you will ever be able to restore the old faded gel coat especially since you will need some harsh chemicals to remove the paint. As recommended I would go to a body shop to see what they recommend. Perhaps a full, professional paint job.

JimK-NY wrote:
I doubt you will ever be able to restore the old faded gel coat especially since you will need some harsh chemicals to remove the paint. As recommended I would go to a body shop to see what they recommend. Perhaps a full, professional paint job.

Assuming $15,000 is in your budget.

I have often wondered how well the 2 part marine topside paint would work. Supposedly it hides the brush marks. The OP would have to remove the graphics first, then paint. It would be a lot of work, but not $15,000 worth of work.

Possible they used Zep floor wax to make it shine. In time rhat stuff flakes off. Before sanding it try washing with floor wax stripper. Might be all you need.

B.O.

I tried to strip some paint last year, the new strippers (same old names) do not work. The methylene chloride from the good old days is no longer available to consumers and as near as I can tell only available to licensed people in large drums!

I've been researching some of the marine paint removers that don't damage the gel coat but they all have caveats on what type of paint and I don't think the 89 year old couple who sold would know either...

Although paint remover is my last resort I'm starting to think this is the only direction I can go. Highly doubt 15k to paint one side but it is 2023 lol