: I used ash slightly thinner, but 1/8" should be fine. I did not go around to the deck of my great auk; just to the sheer. I extended a couple of feet along the bottom. My biggest mistake was not planing a big enough flat for the ash to rest on. 3/4" wide would be better than 1/2 because if your base is wide, you can have a nice radius on the outside.
I put wood glue between the layers and let the glue soak in a bit which softened the ash. For clamps I used strapping tape, bungees and inner tube loops. The bungees and tubes worked best
Shaping the laminations was straightforward. I tapered to nothing along the bottom.
All kayak operations I undertake fall into two categories: harder or easier than expected. Laminating stems was the latter.