We loaded up the boat . Under a bending stress, the outer veneer on the outside of the bend, feels virtually all the tensile stress - the inside of the bend feels compressive stress. The next veneer layer, which is twice as thick as the outer veneer, of course provides no strength to bending stress. There was also bad grain patterns on the outer veneer right at the lower daggerboard brace. I had overlooked this during construction.
Yellow pine is also a strong species of wood.
I am also considering running a piece of glass tape lengthwise on both sides of the board - it has tremendous tensile strength. Here is some info about the new leeboard. They were tested to failure with a spring scale. The new board profile is curved on the leading and trailing edge, with a tightening radius as it reaches the end. This is what I have put together from my reading as a good compromise between lift and drag on a wooden board.