My first dry fitting of the template. I was pleased enough at this point to seriously consider just gluing up the template rather than using it to cut a final version. All of the curves were traced with a drawing bow and then cut on the scroll saw. Looking at the template made me realize that the joints between the body and the end pieces were potentially pretty weak.

I thought about cutting it all out of a single piece of plywood to eliminate the joints altogether, but ended up with a simpler solution: instead of two narrow pieces in the middle, I could just use one wider one. That meant more gluing area and the ability to reinforce the joint with biscuits. The narrower joints at the top and bottom would get dowels. I would also add fins at the top and bottom.

I sanded the head and tail down to the finished shape and then used them as router templates to make the final pieces.