Putty up!

I am pretty happy with the fairing and sanding of the bottom. After using the 8" Dewalt sander, I went over the entire bottom with a 16" long flexible longboard with 80 grit paper to get out the low spots. Then on to putty and fill the 1500+ screw holes. I used Famowood # 1 wood filler, as recommended by "the book". Though I think the DAP solvent based wood filler they sell at Home Depot works the same. For what I know, it's probably the same stuff.

For the larger bolt holes, I used Smith's Fill-It, a epoxy based wood filler that will not shrink and dries overnight.

After the wood filler dried overnight, I went over with my 5" orbital sander. Then back out for two coats of Smith's CPES. Now it looks like a spotted trout, as said by someone else.

If the mild weather hold a few more days, I may be able to lay a few coats of the Interlux 2000E primer before winter sets in. It is workable down to 41ºF (5ºC). Painting with the Copper Bronze paint must wait until spring.