Thunderbutt, I made a 3" wide plate to fill the gap in and the boat would take a set really easy, but it seemed to take about 2 mph off the top speed, so I removed it.
Shiada 96, approx what would it cost to make the plates out of 304, 3/16 thick ? My alum. plate is 3/16 thk. and I can't believe stainless would bend easier than alum. I currently run 4 turnbuckles on each side. The plates are approx 36"x15" ea. Wider on one end than the other though, because of the V.