"Toller" wrote in message
...
What you are describing is a disaster guarenteed to happen.

Why?
The mahogany board weighs 15 pounds. The oak board should weight about
23.
Even if I hadn't just lost 7 pounds, what severe problems will the 8
pounds cause?

I am not being argumentative; I concede I don't know anything about boat
building, and little more about sailing. But I have sailed this with my
95 pound son in it, and it is fine (if a little sluggish); why would 8
pounds of board matter?

Without looking at the board and reading the grain, it is near impossible to
tell what it will do. Not knowing how old it is and how it was dried
muddles things further. I don't think the weight is a concern. I would
think warping, bending, settling, etc. of the board is the potential (big
word there) cause for concern. A guaranteed disaster? I hardly think so.
A likely disaster? Nah. It is yours, the board is free. The penalty will
be to redo it. Go for it, it might just work!

Ed