The build manual was telling me it was time to cut out the openings for the portlights, and I could ignore it no longer.
I got the jig saw and keyhole saws ready, but before I cut into the hull I made a test fit on a piece of scrap MDF to make sure the opening was the correct size and a good fit.
Here is the hole made in the MDF.
And here is the portlight fitted into the opening.
It was a perfect fit!
So now to tackle the boat itself ...
I cut the first opening, partly with the jig saw and partly with a keyhole saw.
A cordless drill and a Spiraband abrasive cylinder were used to sand the hole to its exact shape. Here they are.
It was the forward hole on the port side, and here it is finished.
I discovered that it was a touch too small and needed to be made a fraction larger when fitting on the boat, so I opened the compass a fraction and remarked the openings on the topsides.
Like this, on the port aft opening.
I had also found that the jigsaw was too unwieldy here, and the keyhole saw was perfect when used with multiple access holes.
So on the next opening I drilled lots of access holes and quickly cut out the porthole, as here.
And here are the finished openings on the starboard side, with screw holes drilled for the fittings.
Looking good!
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