With the subdeck glued in place and the glue given a day to dry, the ship is now strong enough to tolerate some rough handling. It’s time to file the edges of the bulkheads down to shape.
I was somewhat anxious about this step. The kit-supplied filler blocks at the bow made it a little easier to work in that area.
After that, I worked from bow to stern. The middle bulkheads, as expected, required very little attention. I did sand off the layer of laser-burned wood, as I remember reading that glue will not stick well to the burned surface.
The stern area was the hardest. It was difficult to figure out exactly what the right shape should be. I used a strip of planking as a batten to test how the planks would lay on the bulkheads, but I’m still not completely confident about the correct shape in the stern.
Even though the deadwood area is rather small, I spent some time creating a taper.
The instructions call for the deck planking to be laid down next. However, I anticipate a lot of rough handling during the hull planking, so I think I’m going to work on the hull planking first.