Fairing float hull sides

My float hull sides are actually pretty fair to start with. So like Roger Bonnet I decided to fair the hull sides by applying thin skim coats of fairing putty. After a couple of coats, applied with a wide 6" trowel and fairing with the long board, the hull looked pretty smooth. I found the best way to see/identify the low areas was to look for the differences in light scattering.




I try to apply putty sparingly to minimize the amount of material I seem to sand off the boat.

Here is the hull after 5 applications. No obvious low spots. It is true that you can sand System Three Quickfair putty after 4 hours, it is quick curing. The problem is to find the strength and stamina in yourself to keep working. I find that I am sanding hard for 20 minutes, resting for 20 minutes and so on.....

At a point you say it is good enough and wipe all the dust off, and pronounce it ready for the thin sealing coat of epoxy resin.

Completely off topic, here is a link to an interesting mashup between google and nautical maps. Pretty soon our smart phones will be all we need for sea navigation.