> I have been following your progress (page) with great interest Ken. I'm not too far behind with my own project. Thanks for the lead. Just this week I have been reading Ted Moores in Kayakcraft on the stem pieces. He really emphasizes how professional an outer stem looks when done right.It's largely aesthetic and he used a nice laminated strip which follows the curve beautifully.He has great style.I don't know that a fiberglass rope would give the same effect but also I can't visualize it very well. Your exchange with Paul on the surfboard layups earlier this week interested me a lot. My question there would be - how do they seal the polyester resin finish. Doesn't that stuff absorb moisture over time? Thanks especially for the paddle pages! J.J.