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RD: Assuming the hard shell paint is in good shape, its generally not a problem at all to apply ablative paint over the hard shell paint. A light sanding, and Bob's your uncle. I did this about 10 years ago, and have never had a problem with the old hard paint undercoat.
However, my two cents is that unless you are able to use your boat a lot or it will be moored where there is a good current running, you might want to consider using hard shell paint if slime is a particular problem in your area. The one time I used hard paint, I found it more effective than ablative at keeping the common slime at bay. Nevertheless, I continue to use ablative because its just so much easier to deal with. I only have to do touch ups in the spring, and completely repaint the bottom every three years. Even then, I don't have to remove the old paint. I think the extra $ for the multi-season ablative paint is well worth it. I've never used one of those "slime away" additives, so I can't comment on their effectiveness.
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