The contact area should be within 2-4" of the keel center-line, if it is making contact with the hull beyond the 4" from each side of the keel center-line you may get hull flexing caused gelcoat cracking (cosmetic). The laminate schedule called for overlapping port/stb. laminations at the keel centerline from bow to stern of about 4-6". In other words the forward keel centerline (where the bow eye is bolted) is about 1/2" thick! The extra width of the bow stop is to help center and guide the bow into the center of the stop. Usually the issue is not gelcoat cracking but getting the bow eye hung up on the bow stop when backing off the trailer. That's another story.
