: Hey Chip, I need to be thinking about stems for my S&G canoe. The plans don't
: call for any for the sake of simplicity, but I worry about how well it
: will hold up without any. Did you just taper the sides of that stem down
: so it blended into the sides of the boat? How did you attach it - just
: epoxy and then glass over it? Any additional glass or tape over it?

Hi Patsy, congratulations on starting the project. I doubt you'll need stems if the plans don't call for them... I glued mine in place with thickened epoxy. Then I shaved them down when I faired the rest of the hull - planed around a center reference line until it looked right. I glassed them with just bias strips.

If I were you I would cover the end of the boat in plastic wrap to protect it from the messy glue-up. Rip 1/8" hardwood strips and laminate them together using the boat as your mold. You may not need steam. Hold them in place with packing tape.

Good luck with it,
Chip

RE: S&G: Stitching and Canoe Progress Report - drilling holes for wires. They don't have to be perfectly aligned. Leave the wires a little loose so you can play with alignment a little. Then tighten them up before filleting.