6. Laminating the Inner Stems

Have you ever heard the phrase "from stem to stern"? How about "stem the tide"? Well, both phrases stem from a boat's stem. (sorry, I couldn't resist) To "stem the tide" is to sail fast enough to make forward progress against a tide.

On a boat the stem is the foreward edge of the bow. A canoe has a "point" at both ends, and so has a stem in the bow and in the stern.

Traditionally, the stem of a wooden boat would be made from one piece, but I will laminate mine from 1/8" oak strips my dad had sitting around from about 20 years ago. (see below and right) Oak seems like a good choice because it is strong and attractive. The author of the wooden boat article chose cedar, but leaves the choice up to the reader.

The author recommends using a waterproof glue, like polyurethane glue. Gorilla Glue is a common brand here in the US.



The strips will be clamped to the stem forms. I have cut 2" holes to accommodate the clamps, and taped the edge of the form with masking tape to protect it from the glue.

Gluing six 1/8" strips gives me a 3/4" thick stem. Use disposable gloves for this! You'll be glad you did. With the strips glued together, but not yet set up, I bent them around the stem form, and clamped them down. The strips complained a little bit as I did this, but I don't see any cracks, and I think it'll be OK.


Unfortunately, I only have enough clamps to do one stem at a time, so I'm taking a break while the glue sets and posting this.