Here is another thought that hasnt been mentioned yet in this interesting discussion. Oratex claims that the rib may fail before the fabric separates. Ok, the kitfox cap strip is only held to the rib by a very tjin glue line. It may very well fail at this point, but that is just as bad as a fabric separation. Rib stitching goes all the way around the rib and cap, helping to hold the whole structure together. I personally would want this extra safety factor for such little effort and cost.