Fairing and windows

So I got the whole boat sanded with 150grit.  Some may remember that I used some Mahogany ACX plywood and turned the C side out as recommended by Bolger and Payson.  Some of the grain runs pretty deep in that veneer, so I took a pass around the boat with some epoxy fairing compound to hit the worst of it after the initial sanding.

I'm going to sand one more time.  Any imperfections remaining are either going to be taken care of with glazing compound after the primer is on or just remain for eternity.  I told myself when I started this project that I was just going for a work boat finish.  Things were coming out so well that I started raising the bar on that.  Thing is, it's starting to dip under 50 at night and I want the paint on before winter proper sets in.  The shop isn't heated.

Next boat that I want to have any real lifespan, I'm springing for the Meranti at Mr Plywood.  There have been many steps in the process where i would have appreciated the higher quality material, and this step is just the icing on the cake.

The good thing that happened this week is I saw 1/4" Plexigass with a light tint on Craigslist for $30.00 per 47x64 sheet.  Some guy pulled apart his greenhouse.  There're some scratches and such in places, but this is almost twice the amount i need for the boat.  I can practice my plexiglass skills on the worst portions before getting down to business on the nicer parts.  Jim Specified 3/16", so this is just slightly heavier than specified.  The tint is almost perfect, not too heavy.

So the goal for this weekend is to sand the whole boat again and get the first coat of primer on the exterior.  I'm waiting on the cabin interior until i know i've glued all the bits inside that I'm going to want.  I'll probably do the interior above the Gunwales so i can permanently install the windows, But I know I'm going to want solid tie downs for battery, cooler, jam cleats, etc.  If I just nail those to the bottom and sides with no dimensional timber buildup, I'll be constantly in danger of running a screw tip through the exterior.  

It just hit me last night that once the paint is on the boat I could actually throw the 2hp on the back and take her for a ride.  I'll wait until spring though when the paint has had plenty of time to harden and I've finished the sailing rig.  That's the plan anyway, and I ALWAYS follow the plan.....