Need a push in the right direction

I have a 95 Skeeter SS90 and the previous owner did a half a$$ job repairing a small area on the rear port side. I want to sand it down smoother and more even and then paint over it. Part of the damage was on the flake "design" and I am not sure if I will have to sand too far into it. Unfortunately, I have no idea where to begin. Since there are are a few knicks and gouges elsewhere, I thougt about flipping the boat and refinishing the entire hull below the rub strip. I have read about a product called marine-tex to fill the knicks and thought about giving it a try. After the marine-tex can I just sand, prime and paint the entire hull? Do I use a "bottom" paint like I have found on some websites or do I need to re-gelcoat? I am not too concerned about having the flake graphic down the side and all white would be fine with me. But is it difficult to spray the whole bottom with like a silver flake? I just need a push in the right direction. Maybe some websites or books. Thanks!

Well, you are already off to a good start because the people on this board are better than any book or website. My suggestion would be to check the threads pinned to the top of this forum first. Then post your specific questions.

White Marine Tex can be used to fix any gouges or scratches in the hull as it is waterproof and permanent.
Gelcoat and paint are 2 different entities to use on a boat. Only certain paints can be used that will hold up in a marine environment.
Both new gel or paint will require a LOT of prep work for either to adhere properly to the old gelcoat.

Add Polyflake into the mix and you've quantified the difficulty of spraying new gel.

Solid color gels are the easiest to spray, with white being the easiest to spray and do repairs on. Solid color gels do not require a clear gelcoat top layer like the Polyflake ( silver flake ) gelcoats do.

Painting a hull requires more prep work, most of the marine paints will be 2 part polyurethanes.

If your bottom is white, you can use white marine tex and skin coat of matching white gel if the MT does not match your white. Fixing the silver flake can be done with MT or matching silver gelcoat.

I am trying to avoid doing the entire hull at all cost, but I am not afraid of the huge amount of time involved if it comes down to it. If I use the marine tex on the side, then a good portion the of the graphic will be gone and won't match the other side. I would have to find some matching flake to re-apply. Would I have to tape off, spray and then topcoat with something like a clear?
I can live with the whites being a little off since it will be the bottom of the boat, but if it is way off how is the gelcoat applied over it?