I started today on the Left NG30 plate.  I knife cut the edges & pulled the weight plugs from the hardpoints.

I was trying to find that point in time that is the “sweet spot” for pulling peel ply . . . when it comes of easy & doesn’t leave any peel ply boogers and still leaves the surface nicely textured.  However, I have to admit I was a bit hasty in finding the sweet spot, so that’s why the surface of the Left NG30 plate above is a bit shiny vs. the usual dull after a glass surface has been peel plied.

The pic below shows the edge of the NG30, with 4 plies of glass, the H250 high density foam, and then another 4 plies of glass.

Since it took a fair amount of time & a lot of elbow grease on the Left NG30 plate to dig out the foam at the hardpoints, I decided to change up my technique.  This time on the Right NG30 plate I used a Forstner bit.  I had to be careful, but it worked wonders and cut the time to get the hardpoint holes configured correctly in less than 20% of the time as it did on the Left NG30 when doing it with the Dremel & by hand.

Below is the finished aft 3 hardpoint positions for the Right NG30 plate after the hardpoint divots had been cleaned up, with the following pic showing all the hardpoint positions.

Before I glassed the Right NG30 plate I grabbed Napster . . .

. . . and pulled the peel ply.

And because I was low on H250 foam, I used 1/4″ thick Birch plywood for the very front nose bulkhead.  I marked the outline on the sheet of ply, and then cut it out.

I now had side A of the front Birch plywood nose bulkhead and side B of Napster ready to glass.

I started with the Right NG30 plate by pre-pregging & glassing the 18-ply hardpoint layups, after lining the edges of the hardpoint holes with flox.

I then laid up 4 plies of BID across the entire Outboard surface of the Right NG30 plate. Also, just as on the Left side, I glassed a 1-ply BID reinforcement across the top edge for added strength.  I then peel plied the layup & weighed down the hardpoints.

After I got the NG30 situated, I glassed a 2-ply BID layup on side A of the smaller wood nose bulkhead & a 2-ply BID layup on side B of Napster.  I peel plied both of these layups as well.