Yes, as Mr Rose mentioned, there are requirements before you can post - it is to cut down on spam & unknown sellers. Participate in some threads in a meaningful way, get to know some folks, and you will have the 5 posts before you know it.
There is a reinforcement about midway up the bow deck, and the boat typically cracks in that area. All the boats are built by hand, and they're all a little different. I would be very cautious.
The "old guys" was aimed at the Dave Hensley generation :). This generation also likes when I splice into the wiring harness on drag boats to hook up my subwoofer.