> I've got exactly the same "problem" with my Guillemot. As Nick
> suggests in his book, once I pulled out the staples I planned the bow
> strips in order to get an even surface (no carving required). Then I
> ripped 6 (six) 1" x 1/16" x aprox 2 feet cedar strips, from a
> solid stock so as to mantain the grain pattern.

> I re-glued (regular white glue) this "sandwich" of strips over
> the planned stem and secured it with milles of duct tape.

> After a couple of days, I planned and filed the stem. Believe me, it looks
> like a solid piece of wood! The whole process was quite simple to achieve.

> Hope this helps

> Marcelo 9 7/8 I DID THE SAME AS ABOVE, EXCEPT USED STRIPS OF ASH (MUCH HARDER THAN CEDAR) AND LAMINATED THE STRIPS FROM THE DECK AROUND THE BOW AND ABOUT FOUR FEET DOWN THE KEEL. DID THE SAME ON THE STERN. GIVES ME A NICE HARD BUMPER FRONT AND BACK. I THINK I USED 7 OR 8 1/16 INCH THICK STRIPS, GLUED WITH WHITE GLUE AND DUCT TAPED TILL DRY. PLANED AND SMOOTHED - CAME OUT GREAT - REAL SIMPLE GOOD LUCK ---STEVE