Page 90 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

Chapter Two
24. Then Make the Master Ribband (or Height of Breadth Ribband) Around, and Make It Level
The word scheerstrook is difficult to translate, but “mas- ter ribband” perhaps comes closest. The master ribband was a temporarily applied batten that, when fixed to a few standing futtocks, indicated the m aximum width of the ship all around. It started at the stem and ended at the extremities of the wing transom.
The height of breadth of the ship rose for ward and aft,asmentionedbefore,sothe masterribbandalsoin- dicated the sheer . On this ribband, which was r emoved later, the locations of the deck beams, hatchways, masts, gunports, and the lik e could also be m arked. To some shipwrights the master ribband was of suc h importance that they would save it in case they wanted to build other similar ships.
At this stage the m aster ribband—and with it, the shape of the hull—could still be changed. This moment, then, was extremely important, asit determined the width, the ri sing of the sheer , and the sh ape in the bow and stern. As stated earlier, a ship built too w ide would become “laborsome” (it would ride with a heavy motion, and excessive strain would be put on the rigging), while a ship that was too narrow would be “tender”; a square ship had more loading c apacity while a nic ely flowing shape made a “good sailor.”
25. And also the Shores and Spalls are set.
25. And Also the Shores and Spalls Are Set
The shores and spalls were components of the scaffolding (see n, o, and q in fig. 2.61).
Figure 2.62. Plate LII (drawing Z)
26. The Floor timbers, bilge Futtocks, Steekers, Crutches, and Transoms.
Steekers are timbers, in the stern, l ying against the sides.
(55 I 8)
. ..
The Crutch is low in the stern in a ship. . ..
Crutches [zogstukken]: are pitchforks that come against the posts for ward and aft, instead of separated timbers.
(54 II 54)
(55 I 50)
(74 II 11) The steekers forward on the bilge strak es are thick 61⁄2 inches, at the stem 9 inches, at the height of breadth 51⁄2 inches, on the ribband above the heigh t of breadth 5 inches. They lie apart at equal distances, below on the oor 9 inches.
26. The Floor Timbers, Bilge Futtocks, Steekers, Crutches, and Transoms
Now the shell could be filled up with frame timbers, and all the fl oors, bilge futtocks, and other futtoc ks were fi t- ted. The shape of the fl oors and bil ge futtocks could be taken from the “plank shell,” but the shape of the futtocks must have been taken from molds.
In the stern, where the planking was bent to fasten it to the sternpost, the sh ape of the floors changed toward a big, n aturally formed V, and even fur ther to a Y shape.
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