In American English "canoe" and "kayak" are not used interchagably as you have done. Numerous North American style canoes have keels. Most big water kayaks have a waterline that is long enough and a bottom that is straight enough to track without a keel. An option for those that want straighter tracking in difficult conditons is a skeg which can be deployed as needed. Unless you have sufficient experience with a design it is not wise to try and out think the designer. Building a stripper first time around and getting everything correct should be challenge enough.

: Am building my first strip canoe a bootlegger while stripping
: bottom it hit me why not add a small keel strip. Has anyone on a
: bootlegger canoe or other kayak put a vertical strip on the
: center keel line protruding the width of a strip to create an
: actual keel similar to a small row boat would have? Would this
: create better tracking while paddeling? If so should the strip
: protrude from end to end and blend back in at the stems?