Getting rid of double paths

[grahaml77721794]

Hi there, hoping you can help me.

Afraid I'm a total noob when it comes to Illustrator, never used it until a few days ago, but trying to get some files laser cut for a project I'm working on & so far its been a bit of a nightmare.

Here's an example of one of the things I've been trying to cut.

They're PNG files I'd created before I thought about using a laser cutter. Been using Image Trace > Make & Expand

But every time I go to laser cut I end up with double or sometimes even double or triple paths.

Is there an easier way to spot the double paths?

And is there an easy way to remove them? Ideally one that doesn't revolve around manually using the direct selection tool? As I keep finding section that seem doubled only upon deletion part of the outline of my boat vanishes.

Tried installing a script earlier 'wr remove duplicates' but it just tells there were no unnecessary objects removed 😕

Any other ideas or tips would be greatly apprenticed.

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

When autotracing check the "Ignore white" setting

trace stuff like this in black and white only

Use the layers panel to examine the artwork after tracing.

And really nobody will be able to save you from learning at least the basics of vector editing software.

[grahaml77721794]

Thanks, I'll give that a whirl.

Never felt so out of my depth