Because of the relative stiffness of meranti ply, even when made up of only five plies, the shape of the bow was unpredictable. In the vicinity of bulkhead A the hull bottom panels wanted to deviate inwards, such that a large hollow was created on the outside of the hull. To overcome this, the hollows had to be forced out and fixed down to the lofting table.

Even then there were uneven bumps and dips around this area, which later needed to be faired considerably. I have a feeling that a more compliant ply, such as hoop pine may have behaved better.
The outcome with all the manoeuvring at the bow is that bulkhead A did not fit properly.
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