Send in the reinforcements

 We finished shaping and blending the bow foam into the hull.  We made two passes with filler, sanding in between, and the result was a seamless join.  Then I spent some time fine tuning the shape so both sides were as symmetric as I could get them.  The bow reinforcement consists of two layers of 12 oz glass, with staggered overlaps so it blends in more easily.  I also added an extra layer along the forward keel where some of the original glass layers tended to get sanded through.  I applied the first layer and then let it set while I worked on other sections (see below). Letting the epoxy kick a little  allows me to apply layer on top of layer without disturbing the first layer. You might notice I also applied some peel-ply to the top and bottom of the bow to hold the glass ends in place while the epoxy set up.  Tomorrow I'll sand off the gloss surface and skim coat the bow to finish blending.

While waiting for the first layer of glass to kick on the bow, I applied reinforcement glass around the areas where the beams will attach to the float.  I had to sand off some fairing putty where I was overzealous in my skim coat.  Then I carefully marked the boundary of the reinforcement based on the detailed placement instructions that Ian Farrier includes in his plans.  I had to think awhile about the meaning of "inner edge of the beam cut out."  On the one hand, it could have meant the edge closest to the boat centerline.  On the other hand, it could mean the edge closest to the centerline of the float.  If you think about it, these two options are opposite edges of the beam cut out.  I am sure it was obvious to Ian when he was preparing the plans, but I had to study his plans carefully to conclude he meant the edge closest to the float centerline.  In general, his plans are very clear, and I am sure this was just a case of me being overly analytical.

As with the bow, I will sand these reinforcement layers lightly tomorrow and then apply my thin formulation of fairing putty.  I will also skim coat the rest of the deck, which is the only area with the bare glass and epoxy still exposed.  You probably already noticed that I turned the float to its proper upright orientation with some help from Dad.  So gravity will help me spread out the thin skim coat on the deck.  Once the skim coat cures, I'll start final fairing next week ... yeah, can't wait ...