: Hey Andy,

: If you're in doubt about whether or not the tracking will be tight enough,
: you can add a couple of 1/4" thick strips extra to the external stem,
: which drops the stem deeper into the water. It's easy to do while you're
: building - not so much fun after its completed. That's what I did to my
: wife's Guilly after I let the strips pull away from the forms which
: eliminated the slightly concave area of the stern. Like Bill said, the
: forms dictate the shape.

: Here's a pic of my wife's Guillemot with the addition of the 3 extra strips
: added to the stem. (the kayak on the bottom)

: Happy Building.

: Charles.

That's something that's fairly easily done with most wood hull kayaks, add a little to the bottom of the stern to gain stability. Normally done with the boat basically completed, just duct tape a strip on temporarily and try the boat to see if that helps or hurts, once you find what works epoxy the piece in place and glass over it.

Sorta a permanant skeg.

Bill H.