HOLY COW........
Ya building the Battleship , Missouri ? If you want to go that way then use the thicker wood for the bottom and 1/4 inch for the sides unless you are into weight lifting.
OK... No more picking on you , it is your boat , make it the way you want it , all of us are different in our likes and dislikes or ideas. As they say , we march to a different drummer. Or as a Sgt of mine use to say .... What ever floats your boat.
I made one from 1/4 inch wood and all the rest from 1/8th inch wood but there were glassed inside and out with a lot of epoxy saturation for strength and light weight.
If you do use the 1/2 inch keep us posted on the progress as you go along. Needless to say , they can be made however the person wants them to be made. It would be more of an old fashion boat since they did use the thicker wood in those day's. The darn things lasted forever with just paint on them and screws to hold them together.
Chuck.