Boat Building terms

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by Willallison, Feb 2, 2004.

  1. Willallison
    Joined: Oct 2001
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    Willallison Senior Member

    Can anyone point me in the direction of a good glossary of boat building terms?

    In the meantime, I'm tring to find out what is meant by "Head" & "Heel" in reference to sawn side frames....
     
  2. duluthboats
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    Location: Minneapolis,MN, USA

    duluthboats Senior Dreamer

  3. duluthboats
    Joined: Mar 2002
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    Location: Minneapolis,MN, USA

    duluthboats Senior Dreamer

    Sorry, I can't find it.

    Gary :D
     
  4. Willallison
    Joined: Oct 2001
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    Willallison Senior Member

    That's ok - Thanks for looking.....I've taken a punt & guessed that the head is the top of the frame (nearest the sheer) and the heel is the bottom (nearest the chine).....?
     
  5. CRE87V
    Joined: Mar 2004
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    Location: Auckland New Zealand

    CRE87V New Member

    I'm Studying Applied Tech. Marine (boatbuilding, just sound smart) at uni, and i just came on here trying to find stuff, but yeah my work boat says the 'Heel" is "the lower end of a mast of the aft end of the keel.

    and being the gay book it is you need to find meanings for the meaning :D
    so incase you didn't know aft mean "astern, or towards the stern"

    and if you don't know what Astern is, its "behind the boat"

    Sorry doesn't say wat the "head" is
     
  6. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Head is the top and heel is the bottom just like people, although I've been called a heel from time to time, but I was at the head of my heel awareness class.

    If you flip the piece from end to end and don't realize it, the head will then become the heel and the heel the head, but if you do realize you've flipped the thing, then the head remains the head and the same for the heel. This is generally true except when discussing feet, where toes replace head and the heel is really the butt which reminds me of another prefix to head. Confused yet?
     
  7. CRE87V
    Joined: Mar 2004
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    CRE87V New Member

    Yes!!!
     

  8. mmd
    Joined: Mar 2002
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    Location: Bridgewater NS Canada

    mmd Senior Member

    The problem is that the terminology sometimes changes meaning from place to place. Fer instance:

    I was doing some work for a boatbuilder of traditional lobsterboats in Prince Edward Island (small island province on the east coast of Canada), and during the course of the project he called me up one day and asked my opinion of whether a change in the curvature of the horn timber would affect its strength. Well, me 'n' most of the builders I know understand that the horn timber is that piece that goes from the deadwoods up to the transom, so curving it in a lobsterboat is not likely. Confusion reigned for some time until I realized he was talking about the frame located about 1/4 LOA aft of the bow, which defines the amount of flare at the bow and maximum beam. Why is it called a horn timber? Because when set up on the keel in the building shed, the extreme 'S'-shape that these frames have makes it look like a pair of cow horns.

    Sheesh!!

    (BTW, I agree with the Chapelle book; another good one is "Boatbuilding" by Robert M. Stewart)
     
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