I am the third owner of a 1985 C36, Mark I.  The bottom was stripped and barrier-coated by the previous owner and there are no issues with the bottom.  There is past blistering in the waterline stripe (they were opened and sealed, but not filled) and pox in the gelcoat up to one foot above the waterline the first five feet from the bow (port and stbd) and about seven feet from the stern (port and stbd).  I plan to peel the gelcoat in the affected areas, plus a margin of safety and refinish.  The dizzying number of internet articles about blister repair has me confused.  I am thinking I should first seal the dried-out laminate with West System epoxy then spray either polyester gel coat or vinyl ester gelcoat.  I have read some articles indicating there can be adhesion problems between gel coat and epoxy, while others indicate that good preparation eliminates that problem (allowing sufficient cure time for the epoxy, scrubbing the amine blush with water, sanding the epoxy before applying gelcoat).  I would go with the gel coat offered by Catalina Direct, but only if I get a decent enough match to not have to spray the entire topsides.  Otherwise, I would lean in the direction of using a vinyl ester gelcoat for the whole topsides. 

Has anybody here done this project themselves (or had it done)?  If so, what method was used?

By the way, I corresponded with Frank Butler about this, sent him photos, etc.  He said the boat was way out of warranty (which is true) he said to just sand the blisters flat and fill them.  This doesn't sound like a permanent cure to me.