Have you put epoxy or glass over the panels yet?  Stained okoume looks awefully dull and blotchy before it is covered.  The PP was the first boat that I stained and I initially thought that I had ruined the panels with stain.  Suggest that you put a layer or two of epoxy over the stain prior to stitching.  This will give you a better idea how they will look and will protect the stain from scratches during construction. 

 I had added the thin coat of epoxy to protect the stain as recommended.  The disaster began when I applied the glass tape/epoxy on the inside of the puzzle joints. Cured excess epoxy on the outside needed to be removed. Even gentle sanding went too far and the attempt to touch up with Q-tips left dark uneven blotches. Live and learn, moving forward!

Hi Jeffery,

I should start off by telling you that I am certainly no expert in this field, however I just recently launched my SWS, and it was stained from bow to stern in two different colors.

Similarly I had a huge issue come up at my scarf joints at midship.  I won't get into details, but I wound up having to sand completely thru the stains about eight inches either side of the scarf to make my repair.  I learned a lot about blending with denatured alcohol.  Is is perfect now?  No!  On the other hand I really don't even notice it anymore.  I just decided that it would give my boat character, and down the road it may well serve as a reminder of where I used to be in my skill level.

I wound up making a lot of touch ups as the boat progressed.  I would be very hard pressed to even find them now!

There are pictures of my boat on the CLC Facebook page now if you want to see what it looks like.

I don't know what level of perfection you are after, but I'll encourage you to procede with your original plan.  I would be more than happy to answer any questions.

Dave