: You definitely need to be careful, as worst possible outcome would
: be to sand through the gelcoat to the point that the laminate
: shows through. Although British boats traditionally had thick
: gelcoat, since companies like P&H and Valley have adopted modern
: manufacturing methods, that's no longer true.

+1
I recently bought a new NDK boat and even though it has a yellow deck (which usually would call for a thick gelcoat) the gelcoat seems quite thin.

My strategy for my used boats is to clean them with fine compound and shine 'em up. The cosmetic scratches can just be left alone, soon to be joined by the ones I'll add.

To use an analogy: 'No facelift for me; I've earned these wrinkles!"