I am looking for a way to make a smaller plywood frame in a Yost style boat. I want to thin down the frame at the front of the cockpit but still maintain adequate strength. I made a mistake and cut one thin and broke it on another boat, so I know that there is a lot of force on these two when you get in and out of the boat.

I am loosing a lot of 'knee room' under the cockpit and I am find that the frame is a bit tall under my legs too. I hate to make the cockpit longer and would prefer to just make the opening in the frame larger. So I have been thinking about ways to "thin' the frame.

The simplest idea I can come up with is make the fame thicker, therefore stronger. Maybe make two identical frames and glue them together as one.

Another idea is cut the frame off at the top stringer and then build a masik for the cockpit support out of wider solid wood. That would take up less space. But I would still have the issue of the frame in the back of my legs, but that is less of an issue.

I tossed around the idea of plywood laminated (the flat way) frame but the bends would be hard to shape. the bends at the chines would just be to sharp.

So, anyone have any other ideas I have not thought of? Making a thinner double thick frame seems like the best idea.