It’s incredibly easy for any small boat build to get submerged in unnecessary doodads and gewgaws. I’ve mostly managed to avoid this for the better half of my kayak building career because I was chained to a six-day in-person build schedule that didn’t allow for an ounce of fat. Now that I teach online though I’m slowly introducing more options for customization.
This doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all though. As a rabid minimalist, every potential modification is fiercely interrogated to justify its existence.
This brass stem band costs about 20 additional dollars, weighs 6oz, and adds about three hours to the build time, but it does let you crash into things with near impunity.
I’m still on the fence about it but I did add it to the course as an option. Time will tell if it stays there.
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