Vol. 64, No. 2 Summer 2019


106 T e essence of the plan is a table of frame angles and a table of off sets. T ese numbers show heights


above and distances right or leſt of a base line at each section. From these numbers frames can be drawn and constructed. Placed at the section lines, they defi ne the shape of the hull. Most boats of this type are in fact built without plans but tables of numbers. T e itinerant builder of a korash on the banks of the Brahmaputra may carry the numbers in his head and measure leſt and right with a swinging stalk of jute. T e builder of a Banks dory may measure from a centerline with a metal tape measure and have his numbers scribbled on a scrap of paper. T e principal is the same for both builders. Changing the numbers even slightly will change the shape of the hull, allowing the builder to adapt the basic design to local conditions and intended use.


Finally, the Gardner plan carries a list of scantlings— the dimensions of the basic materials and parts of the boat. Sometimes the dimensions on boat plans may carry such descriptive terms as “moulded” or “sided”. In describing a timber forming the side of a frame, for example, its thickness as measured from outside the hull to the inside is the “moulded” dimension. It is “sided” as it is measured fore and aſt .


T e table of off sets and frame angles are in Figure 5 along with the construction lines of frame #5. T e scantlings of the Maine river-driving bateau from the Gardner plan are:


Planking - 3/4-inch white pine Bottom - 1 1/2-inch white pine Floor Boards - 7/8-inch white pine T warts - 1-1/8-inch white pine or spruce Risers - 2 1/4-inch by 1-1/8-inch white pine Rail - 2 1/2-inch by 2-inch by 7/8-inch white pine


Frames - 1-3/8-inch white oak crooks Frame bottom cleats - 1-3/8-inch by 2 1/2-inch white oak


Stems – 4-inch oak


T e modeler may wish to acquire a copy of Gardner’s T e Dory Book at this point. It has dozens of boat plans, clear instructions for building a full-size dory, and fully explains the mystery of spiling. T e book’s plan is far too small, however, to build the model and will need to be enlarged to 1:12-scale, the actual size of the model that will be built.


Loſt ing


Loſt ing is the process of drawing the plans of a vessel to full size. Gardner calls it “laying down” but the process is basically the same. When plans arrived at the shipyard they would be redrawn full size on the smooth fl oor of a large loſt above one of the large shipyard buildings, hence the term “loſt ing”. From these full-size drawings patterns for various parts of the ship could be made. T us, by enlarging the Gardner drawings to the full size of the model, the modeler becomes both a loſt s-man and a shipwright.


T e modeler will need a set of basic drawing instruments as might be used in a middle or high school: a meter or yard stick to serve as a long straight edge, a protractor, and a right triangle, either 45 or 30-60 degrees. Add two items the average hobbyist might not have, a sharp hard lead draſt ing pencil and an architects scale. (Figure 6)


T e architect’s scale ruler is 12 inches long and triangular in cross section. One edge carries a standard 12-inch scale divided into sixteenths. Each of the other edges carries two scales, one read from each end. T ese allow direct reading, with subdivisions, in the following scales: 3/32, 3/16, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1-1/2 and 3 inches to the foot


One of the loſt s-man’s basic tools is the batten, nothing more than a long strip of wood that can be bent through a number of points to produce a fair curve. T e principle is simple; wooden battens mimic the natural curves of bending wood. T in


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100