Thanks Nick, that pretty much settles it for me. I'll put the stems in as well. I just need to figure out how much to cut off the stem and stern forms to accomodate the inner stem. On Vaclav's plans the bevel for the front of the forms is something like an inch and half or maybe more. I'm thinking of about 3/4 of an inch for the inner stem thickness. I figure to just steam the wood and make it up out of 1/8" laminates. I'll then just bevel the width to follow what had originally been called for on the form.

In fact, I think I'll email Vaclav and see what he'd recommend to add the stems. I like the idea of joining the strips more easily and the fiberglassing advantage.