Flimsy Hinge? and a bit askew. Help?

[burlesot]

All,
My 1947 Tourette is coming along. I had to remove the rivets that were used in the original design to hold on the piano hinge in order to replace the gasket that keeps it watertight. Because it originally had angle iron made of aluminum that was riveted, I feel like my replacement feels a little loosey goosey. I ended up spliting a 1 x 2 and screwing into this with 3/4" stainless steel screws; I used the old piano hinge and the pre-existing holes in both the hinge and aluminum. When I open the hatch, it feels a little 'soft' or flexible. I've not had the teardrop long enough to 'remember' how it felt when I originally lifted the hatch.

I'll be adding another complete 1x 2, screws and a couple of pieces of aluminum over the rubber gasket that will keep the hinge watertight. Do you all think that this will 'stiffen' it up enough? I'm not sure what I should do or use to make it a bit stiffer. Thankfully, both the strips of aluminum and wood will be in the hatch area; I won't have to penetrate the body of the teardrop to install the gasket or the aluminum that will hold it in place.

Another problem I seem to be having is that the hatch is 'slightly' askew. I thought when I put the hinge back on that I would be able to fix it, but I still have it not fitting exactly right on the lower right side of the galley. I feel like I can 'force' it to close, but I'm worried that I will cause damage to the right side and/or the hinge.