Page 98 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

Chapter Two
(82 I 30) About the Ribband of our Ship.
The Ribband at the top of the futtocks is 1 foot 10
inches above the height of breadth ribband at the stem.
At the
At the
At the
At the
At the
At the
At the
At the eigh th frame, 2 feet above the heigh
rst frame, 1 foot 9 inches. second frame, 2 feet. third frame, 2 feet. fourth frame, 2 feet.
fth frame, 2 feet 1 in. sixth frame, 2 feet 1 in. seventh frame, 2 feet.
t of breadth ribband, 2 feet 5 in. above the wing transom.
Figure 2.73. Plate XXIII. Top timber at the location of the main frame; the top portion is called a hanger, the bottom a steeker.
The fth top timber at a height of 61⁄2 feet tumbles 2 feet 6 inches. At 81⁄2 feet, let it tumble 3 feet.
The eighth top timber tumbles 5 feet at a heigh t of 14 feet measured from the deck beam, 4 feet at a heigh t of 10 feet, 21⁄2 feet at a height of seven feet.
And thus one can curve the top timbers, and the ship will not be badl y shaped, although everyone can cur ve them according to the shape he wants the ship to have.
(76 I 11) 21. About the top timbers and the upper deck. The top timbers tumble 2 feet at the top, are 4 1⁄2
inches thick, on deck level as well as at the location of the main frame.
38. With the Top Timbers
The top timbers, a s noted prev iously, are the uppermost parts of the frames. Their lower ends were fitted between futtocks, and they ran up to the r ailing. Their thickness was about a quarter of the stem.
The top timbers were cur ved inward (the t umble home), making the upper dec k narrower than the m ain deck. Witsen supplies a formula for the tumble home: one third of the height of the upper dec k. But clearly this was the last phase in which the shipwright could intervene in the shaping of the hull, so he was free to vary from the rule. For carriers a lot of tumble home was preferred, mak- ing boarding a diffi cult undertaking; on men- of-war the upper deck was wider to supply ample space for fighting.
39. Make the Ribbands around, Shores and spalls.
(74 II 6) The ribband comes in one inch on the bilge strakes: forward and aft it is half an inch thinner, than in the middle.
39. Make the Ribbands Around, Shores and Spalls
As mentioned prev iously, the sh ape of the upper work s was determined with ribbands. Then the top timbers were fixed with shores and spalls, just like the futtocks earlier.
40. Make the hanging Knees, fit the ceiling in the Bilge, make the crutches and the Keelson,and the Mast Step.
(70 I 40) 21. About the hanging knees.
1. About the hanging knees in the hold , the hang- ing knees in the hold 2⁄3 of the thickness of the stem.
(75 I 33) 14. About the hanging Knees in the hold.
1. The hanging knees in the hold , thick 7 1⁄2, or 8
inches.
2. The lower ends long 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 feet, according
to their place forward, in the middle or aft.
3. The bills long 4 , 5, 51⁄2 feet, t underneath the
beam with a rabbet.
4. Let the hanging knees before and after the last 2
beams be cant knees: to every transom 2 knees, and to the broekstuk 4 knees.
(79 II 9) The crutches are thick, and wide 10 to 13 inches, and go as far as the turn of the bilge; the oor riders as men tioned: but the hindmost breasthook is deeper.
(77 I 16) the crutches as thick as the beams 10, 12 or 13 inches.
80
The farther the breasth ooks are set apart, the weaker the ship: which is why it should be minded.
(267 I 23)