Tonight I made a little more progress towards cutting the ports in the starboard hull. Not a lot of progress, but at least it wasn't more sanding. I used my laser plumb line to lay out the centerline along the deck and measured out the placement of the ports. A laser plumb line is certainly not a requirement to do this job, in fact it probably took longer to set up than pulling a chalk line a dozen times. But it is cleaner than a chalk line, and definitely more fun. This is a shot looking forward from the stern with the laser line on center. I transferred the line to the deck with a pencil and straight edge (it would have been much cooler to laser etch the line into the deck but this laser is a bit underpowered).
I also spent some time playing with my camera settings to get a more impressive laser shot. This was about the best I could do. Again, more fun than sanding! I suggest listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" while viewing this photo to fully experience this other-worldly laser light show!
And to help bring you back to reality after the sensory over-stimulation inflicted by the mesmerizing effects of the laser show, here is a photo of the pencil outline for one of the round access ports I'll cut out next. I know, barely visible penciled circles on a perfectly faired deck is a bit overwhelming, please try to contain your emotions ... Actually, I used the centerline to ensure all the ports would be neatly aligned. I remeasured their locations with some accuracy to keep them looking professional. Next I will use a pattern I cut out of plywood a few weeks ago to cut the openings with a router for a clean hole. I will then install the flat plates I made months ago for the ports to sit on. Again, this may be more effort than is necessary (this is my approach, not Ian Farrier's), but I think it will produce a very professional finish for ports that are less likely to leak.
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