: There's also asthetics to what we build. I like the look of a (not so
: perfectly straight) seam running down the center of a skin boat. It looks
: like the real thing.

Jay,

I too like the look of the sewn seam running down the deckridge, and in fact,
most of my non-folders are made this way. However, not everyone likes the
look, so I have added the deckridge cover as sort of an experiment. I like
the cover, as it adds a finished look. It's fun trying new ideas
as it keeps me from getting bored and often leads to design and construction
breaktroughs.

I assume that you build traditional SOF's so I can certainly understand why
you want to match the original Aleut and Inuit methods as closely as possible.

I guess that asthetics are in the eyes of the beholder.

Best,

Tom