You have two choices for this job; Industrial Strength Algae Strip and Green Genie. Both will do the same job but Green Genie is easier to work with as it is not fuming and uses salt instead of acid to do the work. Both are environment friendly. The difference is that Green Genie takes a bit longer to work which can be an advantage as the longer you let the chemical soak into the adhesive rings, the easier they will be to remove.

Some acids or acid based products will damage fiberglass. Some immediately and others over time so the damage is not readily apparent. If the product is not inhibited, buffered and tested you would do well not to use it on your boat. Some of these products will soften the fiberglass, others will etch the pores in the gelcoat, promoting osmosis blisters while others will pull the plasticizers our making the gelcoat brittle and subject to stress cracks. Using these products can void the manufacturers’ warranty.

Most antifouling bottom paints contain cupreous oxide which is a neurotoxin. It constantly leaches into the water around your boat, creating a plume. When marine life unsuspectingly swims into the plume, they ingest the toxin, which attacks their nervous system and they die of convulsions, thus preventing them from attaching to your boat. Other neurotoxins used in the past have been banned worldwide because of their destructive effects on marine life. Of all the copper compounds, cupreous oxide is the most deadly.

All chemical bottom cleaners will remove some bottom paint, some more than others, depending on the chemical composition of the cleaner and the paint. Sanding and pressure washing also removes some paint and if it's ablative, just sitting in the water causes erosion of the paint.