: I've wondered about that. The pic Tom uses to demonstrate his lash
: & glue method looks like he builds up epoxy over the
: surrounding area, in addition to the lashing. Makes it look like
: the epoxy gradually slopes, which might reduce the appearance of
: the lump under the skin.

: I'm toying with the idea of finding some way to carve depressions
: into the gunwales, stringers, and keel around each former,
: letting the lashing lay in them and smooth the skin. Half of me
: says: don't bother, it'll reduce their strength, the lumps
: aren't *that* noticeable. The other half of me says: they won't
: reduce strength that much, I might be building out of pine
: anyway (Mom's got a few 16' lengths of nicely dried pine left
: over that might be clear enough), and it'll look nicer.

Downside of not taking the time to carve these is the bumps caused by the lashing are wear points on the skin on the finished kayak.

Bill H.