Designing the Hull
As a “rough draft” of the ship, shipbuilders would create “half models" of ships with specific measurements that they would scale up to the actual size of the full ship. By doing this, the mathematics and measurements were already done so that mistakes would be limited.
Bending Planks
To construct the ships properly, ship builders had to form the wooden planks precisely so that the ship would sail well. To do this, craftsmen would steam each wooden plank to help shape it to the hull. By doing this, the wooden plank would be able to bend and form to the angle necessary. This video shows this process. http://www.boat-building.org/learn-skills/index.php/en/wood/steaming-a-strip-of-wood/ |
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Building a Steam Box
Fastening the Planking
Ship builders also would fasten the wooden planks together so that construction would stay in place.
Caulking the Seams
Once the ship was constructed and the planks were in place, ship builders would need to caulk in between so that no air or water could seep through.
To do this, they used a variety of tools; Hooks, Caulking Cotton, Oakum, and Mallets. The shipbuilder would hit cotton in between each plank and then seal the wood with a pine tar like substance. |
http://www.boat-building.org/learn-skills/index.php/en/wood/caulking-calking/
Image of Schooner Construction