This past weekend I attached the foam bow and finished shaping it to match the hull. I also sanded the entire hull in preparation for skim coating and final fairing. I wanted to get the bow glassed and the reinforcements laminated, but we just didn't have the time. The white stuff on the bow in the photo is a skim coat to fair the bow to the hull. I already did this on the other side. All in all, it is pretty easy to cut the bow to shape with a hand saw by using the hull as the guide for the slope. I cut about 2 inches at a time going from keel to deck. Making small cuts allowed me to correct frequently before going too far off course. After trimming with the saw, I spent some time sanding the foam closer to the final shape with the long board. It is important to minimize the sanding on the adjoining glass surfaces, especially around the high curvature areas at the deck and keel. The filler putty then cleans up the details and fills any gouges and unwanted cuts.
Here is another view of the bow with the skim coat. In the zoomed view you will note it is still rough because I have yet to sand this side fair. You will also notice the red and blue stripes along the leading edge. No, this is not the new Captain America paint scheme! I used the lines to help monitor the symmetry while trimming the foam. The red is approximately the centerline, and the blue lines are the next layer of foam. It isn't perfect but it is helpful. After sanding and any follow up filling, I will stand the float up so we can laminate the bow with two layers of glass and apply the other reinforcements on the deck. Sounds like I have plans for the weekend, yet again ...
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