: You can find 1/4 round brass stock that would look better than the
: flat, but the flat will work. I used a flat rub strip on a kayak
: and it caused the water to lift up the bow as I paddled and was
: like having a personal waterfall to listen to while I paddled. I
: reshaped so that it had rounded edges the next day!

: A good drill and countersink should have no problem on brass.

: It will probably be a couple of weeks before I skin this boat.

I may actually just use some of my white oak rib stock for the stem covering, it's what I used on the kayak and it looks nice. Perhaps less durable, but lighter and easy to replace either way.

@David:
That's good to know, I'll start spacing my ribs out wider. I already tied in about 8 ribs at 6", but I'm sure everyone will think my strangely varying centers were all part of the plan if I don't tell them =)