I found that the little bubbles on the bottom just sanded smooth without even going through the gelcoat. I think my procedure to paint the bottom will be to suspend the boat using straps to first paint the CB trunk side and bottom (And loosen the stuck CB). When that dries, I will mask that and rest the boat on its keel and keep it from tipping sideways using the chain plates and rear cleats. Then I will paint the rest of the bottom. As for the CB bolt. Should I dig the silicone out of the bolt hole? If I do, do I need to cover it with anything? If so, would that marine fairing compound that works sort of like Bondo work? If I used that, would it be possible to chip it out at a later date (Without damaging the keel) to service the centerboard? Scott Larson