That's a really nice touch. I especially like the idea of doing this on the sheer, since it functions as a sheer clamp, but as you said it adds weight. Using cedar instead of hardwood would be lighter, though not as durable.

: On our kayaks, we use integral hardwood keel and shear strips. These are
: coved, and glued in as the hull is stripped. The picture below shows a
: drawing of the cross section of our shear strips as they relate to the
: hull and deck. The link below takes you to a drawing of the keel strip,
: photos, and more information. Just scroll down past the "Images on
: Wood".

: These can be a pain to construct. The shear strips are all done on the
: shaper. A different bit on each of the 4 corners - fairly simple. The keel
: strip is a bit different. It varies in width the length of the kayak and
: has a rolling bevel ranging from almost horiontal to almost vertical from
: center of kayak to end (the edge angle changes almost 80 degrees). This
: bevel is also coved to take the bottom hull strips. Much of the cove can
: be done on the shaper, but the end 3 feet or so is done by hand. So far, I
: use a woodcarving gouge followed by cleanup with sandpaper glued around
: the edge of a thinned beaded strip. A bit of work, and it adds a bit of
: weight to the kayak, but you might want to try it anyway. The keel strip
: will probably work on any style hull. The shear strips only work on kayaks
: with a definite "corner" where the deck meets the hull.

: Grant