: I am building a Recovery kayak, mostly using Morris for the design. He uses a
: flat keel stringer, to make as flat a bottom as possible. I am hoping to
: end up with a kayak that I can take for leisurely paddles on lakes and
: some fairly mild rivers up to maybe class II. I am not looking to do much
: surfing with the boat. So, my question then is whether I should stick with
: the flat keel stringer, or if a taller one (say a 3/4" square or
: dowel) would make the boat track just a little better. Would this affect
: the stability? Just curious to see everyone's opinions. Thanks!

Hi Erin,
Go for the taller stringer. The difference in tracking might be noticable and it wouldn't make any difference to stability.
It will also help keep the skin away from the ribs, I used the thin keel stringer and had to add partial stringers between the keel and the side chines. They're 5mm x 30mm strips of cedar I cut off a board with a hand saw. Start to finish, about an hour. A bit quicker with power tools, I think.

Mike Savage
South West Cork