Two steps forward and one step back. We got the entire hull sanded... and then decided that we needed another coat of epoxy on the entire hull. Many a piece of sandpaper met it's end. So although we won't get the primer on before I leave, we will get the last coat of epoxy on which will just need to be sanded one last time before priming. The new plan is to prime either tomorrow or Thursday.
On the upside, the materials from Jamestown distributors and McMaster. The rivets for the sail track and my new favorite piece of boat building hardware, the wonderfully shiny and polished stainless steel half oval for the bow.
Now to address the bow of the hull. From the pictures it sure looks like a pumpkin at Halloween but it really isn't that bad. The holes that were drilled for the steel strip are a full 5/8" deep and they didn't penetrate the fillet that is on the inside edge of the bow. There is already 2 strips of fiberglass tape on top of that fillet and I don't think that we have made the joint any less strong by revealing the epoxy in the joint. We also added a strip of fiberglass on the outside of the hull to the bare end grain of the plywood panels just as an extra precaution. The steel strip will also protect the bow from any impacts that it may experience.
