Refinishing wooden boats

I own a wooden driftboat which is about 20 years old. I am wanting to refinish the boat and have all the tools needed to complete the task. I am, however, uneducated in the skills of boatbuilding and have lots of questions. My boat is finished with Spar Varnish and I am having trouble finding the best way to strip it off the boat(i.e. stripper, sanding, etc) any help or hazards would be greatly appreciated.

It is a 16 foot driftboat with 1/4 inch thick plywood sides.

 

Common stripper like zip strip, etc. is the easiest and most effective. You can follow with a scrub with acetone and light sanding. Follow safety precautions.
Depending on the plywood used, surface veneers can be quite thin so keep sanding to a minimum.

 

thanks.....do I have to worry about damaging the epoxies on the boat when I use the stripper?

 

Typical epoxies shouldn't be affected.