Page 137 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

How Ships Are Built in Holland Today
(92 II 5) 69. About the main Knight.
1. The main knigh t, broad 18 inches, thick 17
inches.
2. The sheaves long 17 inches, thick 2 inches, the
fourthontheoutsidethick11⁄2 in.theheadlong1foot, thenailthick2in.theholes oftheheadwide9inches, oneiscurvedwitharound edgeof3inches,alsotwo small knights are tted to it at the side, below , which have to stand 4 inches from it, they are broad 1 foot, andthick16inches.Thehead long7,andabovethick 7 inches: above that is a bolster thick and broad 1⁄2 foot, the heads long 71⁄2 inches, the sheaves broad 121⁄2 inches, thick2inches,thenailthick 1⁄2 inch,withasmallbolt
xed at each end.
The Fore Knight comes 13 inches behind the mast,
and the inner sheave com es as the mast, stands 3 feet above the forecastle or deck, and there is thick 15 inches, broad 16 inches. The head is long 10 inches, above thick 91⁄2 inches,belowthick81⁄2 inches,andbroad1footand somewhat hollowed, for the rope. The 2 sheaves are broad 1 foot 6 inches, the third thick 11⁄2 inches. The nail is thick 11⁄2 inches, the 2 small fore knights are thick and broad 9 inches.
(93 I 9) The mizzen knight comes 11⁄2 feet from the mast, and below even with the deck beam [balck; the text has back]: is long above 2 feet, broad 9 inches, and thick 8 inches: the head long 5 1⁄2 inches, thick 6 inches, the holes long and b road 12 inches, thick or wide 1 1⁄2 inches,thenail11⁄2 inches,thesheavesbroad8inches, the small hatchet to this mast is of a shape as the others.
78. Plank the Main Deck (and the Upper Deck)
Only now was the planking of the main dec k laid, prob- ably along with that of the upper deck as well. The planks of the upper dec k were thinner th an for the m ain deck. These planks were adzed, which gave them a rougher sur- face than when pl aned and whic h made them les s slip- pery. The planking had to be c aulked to m ake the dec k watertight.
79. Then the cross of the Cabin and the Bulkhead is made.
(57 II 34) The cross stands aft in the at of the stern, it is faired, and the parts of the at of the stern come onto it, the escutcheon stands against it.
. ..
(83 II 34) The cross is for strength, and to nail on to it parts of the at of the stern, on to which ordinarily then the crest is placed. The counter above the rudder
is called the curved counter, up to the
at of the stern.
77. The Main and Fore Knight
These knights were used for al l sorts of heavy hoisting besides raising the yards. Apart from the she aves for the halyard, another sheave was often fitted in the knight for raising the topmasts and other objects, using the top line that ran to the capstan.
The knights stood abaft the m asts, often slightly off center to avoid interfering with the stay, which came down to the mast at that point.
78. Plank the Main Deck.
(86 I 18) The planks of the main deck thick 2 1⁄2 inches, also in the cabin, on the upper deck 11⁄2 inches.
Figure 2.150. Figure 2.151.
(left and center) Plate XXXI. Knight, sheave. (right) Plate XXXI. Mizzen knight.
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