You know, the beauty of this hobby is that there are so many inventive and creative people contributing to this board. There are also countless ways to "skin the cat". For some really good info on the strength of various layups go to Vaclav's site, or search the archives on this board. As to an earlier question on what is an internal stem - it's just what it sounds like. If you are building strip you reduce the outside curve of the end forms by 1 - 1 1/2 inches and replace the missing piece with laminated wood which will become part of the hull. With s & g you carve a block to fit in the end after the hull is complete. Either way will give structural integrity without too much extra weight.