scorpion king! question on paint

[76sanger]

my sanger was painted a while ago (not sure by whom, or what kind of paint). they didnt regelcoat it. how far down do i take the paint? ive already started sanding on it and its only one layer thick (plus primer). not gelcoat tho. do i go down to the gel? or just scuff it?
how crucial is it to dewax/degrease b4 sanding (i ask because i didnt!)?
i think im going with the ppg paint because of availability and price discount i get. you say to use the deltron basecoat/clearcoat system?
im also thinking of using a small amount of harlequin essence blue/purple flip flop (not straight harlequin.. its to $$$$$$$ pricey). #23/oz. for the essence $43/oz for straight harlequin. can i basecoat/clearcoat this as well?
how does a guy put that stuff on? is it the same way as with the other stuff? ive heard that you MUST paint and entire area or the colors could flip flop opposite each other if you stop and start.
just a few questions from a painting idiot.

[scorpionking]

take the exhisting paint down till you can let it dry and not see any glossy spots. if it all looks dull then it is sanded enough,all the sanding process does is scuff the surface so that the basecoat will adhere. be sure to sand out any scratches and if they are deep you may need to fill and or prime them to build the area up to the same level as the rest of the surface.
the wax degrease process is pretty important,especially if you wax your boat alot,wax/silicone and paint dont mix..you will get what we call fisheyes out the wazoo if you dont wipe it down with wax and grease remover,alsodo this just prior to spraying the base,dont do it after that as it can attack the basecoat. as for the harlequin paint,dont airbrush or try to fade them ontop of the base coat you put down,if you use them,tape off stripes and harlequin the entire area taped off, i offer this from experience because i painted a 43 foot black thunder once and tried to fade the harlequin colors in to flames, 500.00 bucks of paint and a repaint later i learned how bad this paint flips metallic. you spray it just like the other basecoat. big question for you, where are you painting the boat and what type of spray gun are you using? feel free to give me a call at 314-267-5787 if you have questions,

[76sanger]

im planning on spraying it at a friends shop. were gonna blow all the dust out. then wet everything down just b4 we prep/paint. ill be using another friends binks #7 (i think thats what he said it is). im not doing the painting but a friend who is a body man will be. the paint guru at the local carquest (well versed in the paint dept.) has offered lots of help. a guy that used to work there painted an entire honda civic with blue/purple harlequin essence. the guru told me to use a base coat that is closest matching to the harlequin if your looking straight at it. he said to do this because you can make the paint go a little farther. makes sense to me.
what about filling in bad spots?
bondo? or glass? there are a few spots that i wont be able to blend and will have to be built up and sanded down.
i also have to build up the nose again. the person who owned it before me must have bumped (ok...ran into) something. they offer a product called "tiger hair" at the auto parts place. is this good or bad stuff to use?
im also eliminating the seam. it came factory with a rub rail (to cover it). apparently this is $250 less if you get the boat new with a rub rail versus seamless. would this tiger hair work there also?
there are a few spots on the boat that were sanded, prior to me, that are down to the glass. ie corners and things like that. nothing terrible tho. can i primer right over the glass and paint it? im praying i dont have to re-gel these areas.
more questions coming so keep me posted. thanks for all the help up to date.

[scorpionking]

well, i hate to make fun of equipment but we stoped using binks #7 guns about 1985 but it will work if nothing else is available. the reason to put down a drop coat for the harlequin color is that it is somewhat transparent,most of the time we use a black base then spray it over that. on the use of the kitty hair,it will work great,it is very hard to sand,it has strands of glass in it to strengthen the product. i would use it on the rubrail stuff as the base then sand it out and use regular filler,featherlite is a good product that sands very easily,on top of that for the final coat. you can use regular filler on the other small stuff,no need to regelcoat anything... as far as the priming over bare glass,that is tricky,it really depends how far down it goes,you should be ok but if it is real deep,you may work plastic over it first then prime. also, when you are sanding out the bad spots,use a block of somesort to make sure you get your bodywork straight before you paint,have your friend look it over,if he has done body work he will know what to look for.
good luck....let me know if you have any other questions.