Me again
Further to my post above, three further brief (as Polonius said) comments -
1) It's five little swallowlets, not four. I can't count, and they were good at hiding in the nest. Now they are out and about, but still choosing, together with their parents who should know better, to shit on my boat build, which is irksome. I suppose there is now a race against time, and after flies etc, to get strong enough to fly to Africa - amazing. And we'll see at least some of them again next year, which is doubly amazing. And by then I hope my Trouper will be finished. And that is three sentences in a row which start with a conjunction. Which won't do.
2) Andrew D is, of course, quite right and a useful bloke to have around on the forum - judicial use of heat is extremely useful. My new hot air gun is worth having. Variable heat, rather than fixed settings, is the thing to have.
3) I continue to be VERY impressed by the RB406 J-Flex sand'paper' which I mentioned. In fact, I have invested in a 10 metre roll, which should meet my 80 grit needs way beyond this boat-build. Apropos your bespoke sanding sticks, Steve, I think you would have a job to tear this stuff: and it lasts and lasts.