But to the OP, dude just but some paint stripper. Read the directions, and whammo. A lot easier than sanding, a can is like 5 bucks. I rawed my forks like that and it worked great, and I barely even used any. Just be careful with the stuff lol.
sanding the deck would not make it weaker unless your a complete retard *cough* joe *cough* and keep sanding it after the paint is off and you dont stop. i mean yeah if you keep sanding it for hours on end and dont stop its going to wear down alot.