I may get lucky and not even need the stripper. I hate the mess that stuff makes. Big chunks of that red paint let go all over my pickup bedliner on the ride home. I'll try a section with the DA over the weekend and see how easy it comes off.
Any thoughts on how to address the rotted wood backing to provide support for that rudder hardware? I may have the same problem on the bow handle. It felt very loose while picking up the boat... so much so that I didn't use it. I've been thinking about cutting and letting in one of those access ports. May actually need more than one? I definitely don't want to get into peeling the deck back.
Sure, I'll have mahogany drops left after cutting out the daggerboard and rudder. Do you mean to epoxy them to the outer hull surface? I've seen sailboats with exterior wood in similar applications sealed with epoxy. It can really make for a nice contrast to the hull... especially with a nice piece of wood.
I guess an alternative would be to cut a small rectangular hole and feed in a backer block slathered in epoxy and use a string or wire to hold it up against the inside of the hull while it cures... like the guy in your video did with laminate.