Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
By:Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K
Date: 12/8/2011, 12:44 pm
In Response To: Strip: How necessary are stems? (Rob)

: Hi,
: Working on my Spring Run kit, which calls for internal and external
: stems. I see that some builders don't use stems at all, to save
: weight I presume.
: I'm thinking that it would perhaps streamline my project a bit if I
: build without stems. What would be the downside of not going
: with stems?
: Any experiences out there with this approach?

: Thx,
: Rob

External/Internal stems are were a device Ted Moores used to avoid a layer of seam tape over the stem edges,
because a second layer of glass was visible the way he applied fiberglass.

Quote; "Wrapping a 'glass patch around the end is not only difficult but frustrating, because there is no
way of doing it gracefully. The double layer of 'glass at the stem will always appear a different color and
density than the single layer on the rest of the hull."

Ted Moores, "KayakCraft" page 117, "Finishing the cloth at the stems"

That's also why Ted came up with the "sheer clamp" to join deck and hull.

Most people don't realize this, and apply a layer of seam tape over the stem edges anyway.
They continue to use separate stem pieces because they like the look of the external stem strip.

It is more work. It may seem a little easier to tack strips on and cut the ends off AFTER you've
built the special stem forms, bent the wood for inner and outer stems and apply a rolling bevel to
the inner stem.

And more added weight than simply joining strips at the stems.

That's why I'd never use them.

Rob

Messages In This Thread

Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rob -- 12/8/2011, 8:17 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Don T -- 12/8/2011, 8:27 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Clayton Plunkett -- 12/8/2011, 8:42 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Ian Cummins -- 12/8/2011, 9:27 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Paul Tavenier -- 12/8/2011, 12:52 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
greg h -- 12/8/2011, 3:56 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Paul Tavenier -- 12/9/2011, 12:50 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bill Hamm -- 12/11/2011, 2:38 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bill Hamm -- 12/11/2011, 2:45 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Mike Savage -- 12/11/2011, 9:02 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 12/8/2011, 12:44 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rod Tait (Orca Boats) -- 12/8/2011, 4:17 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Kurt Maurer -- 12/8/2011, 6:55 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Dwight Lynn -- 12/8/2011, 7:13 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Kurt Maurer -- 12/8/2011, 7:56 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Dwight Lynn -- 12/8/2011, 10:13 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Kurt Maurer -- 12/9/2011, 10:06 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bill Hamm -- 12/11/2011, 2:44 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rod Tait (Orca Boats) -- 12/8/2011, 7:44 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Allan -- 12/8/2011, 8:57 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rob -- 12/9/2011, 8:14 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Kurt Maurer -- 12/9/2011, 10:13 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bill Hamm -- 12/11/2011, 2:42 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 11:59 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rod Tait (Orca Boats) -- 12/9/2011, 1:16 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 2:28 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Rod Tait (Orca Boats) -- 12/9/2011, 3:38 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 3:51 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
ScottBaxter -- 12/9/2011, 5:11 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 6:01 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
ScottBaxter -- 12/9/2011, 8:12 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 11:51 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 11:51 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems? *PIC*
Bryan Hansel -- 12/9/2011, 11:53 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 12/9/2011, 1:32 pm
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
ancient kayaker -- 12/10/2011, 7:37 am
Re: Strip stems and weight
Will N 2 Go -- 12/11/2011, 11:29 am
Re: Strip stems and weight
Bill Hamm -- 12/13/2011, 4:55 am
Re: Strip stems and weight
Bill Hamm -- 12/13/2011, 5:00 am
Re: Strip: How necessary are stems?
Etienne Muller -- 12/11/2011, 5:01 am