Re: 1958 mfg. ADDED NEW PICS
Re: 1958 mfg. ADDED NEW PICS
...I wish my boat had the same seat set up. I'm sure that it contributes in a major way to the solidity of the hull. I found out how soft the fiberglass sides were when I tried to roll mine over. If that huge cross beam across the gunnels had been present I would have worried less.
Actually your hull has a lot of solidity- in the plane it is designed to withstand force.
When "rolling" any boat you should always install/provide across-thwart support and gunwale-to-gunwale reinforcement. The boat bottom will withstand the thousand pounds of weight of the boat and occupants because of the stringers and support ribbing. The hull cap (gunwale topper) has very little need to withstand a thousand pounds and should always be protected if rolling any boat over.
Don't forget ... you could soak it, then steam it ?? Or soak it and just bend it...
While soaking a piece of would may make it easier to bend, it actually weakens the wood. Dry bending and laminating with glue will be stronger and not incur the negatives you get from soaking wood. When steaming wood one typically starts with green wood. (See notes in my previous post.)
Not trying to be critical- just trying to help. I think the project is really cool and wish I was working on a project like that right now! Best of luck to you and the OP. I am enjoying the project a great deal.
Mark