138 
SHIP-BU 
than forward for her best sailing trim, yet to keep the several 
water-lines horizontal, or parallel with the upper edge of the 
keel, is the most useful in construction ; and the water-lines, 
as represented in the half-breadth plan, form curves, limiting 
the various half-breadths of the ship at the heights of their 
corresponding lines in the body-plan. They are generally 
drawn with green ink, but in our Plate with corresponding 
dotted lines, and are represented by straight lines in the 
sheer-plan ; and if parallel with the keel they will be hori¬ 
zontal lines in the body-plan, but if the vessel is to be con¬ 
structed to draw much more water aft than forward, the 
water-lines will not of course be parallel with the upper edge 
of the keel; then owing to their various heights at each tim¬ 
ber in the sheer-plan, they will form curves at those heights 
in the body-plan, and the more they vary from an horizontal 
line, the less accurate will the limits of their half-breadths be 
described in the half-breadth plan. 
In the Plate, the upper horizontal water-line is> 20 feet 
above the lower edge of the keel; and between that and the 
upper edge of the rabbet of the keel, are equally divided four 
more water-lines, as in the sheer-plan. The water-lines may 
now be drawn in the half-breadth plan from the body-plan, 
as far as the timbers are there formed; thus continue the 
water-lines aft from the sheer-plan across the body-plan, then 
take off with compasses, or a slip of paper, and pencil, their 
various half-breadths from the middle line, to the places where 
the several timbers intersect each water-line, and set them off 
on their corresponding timbers from the middle line in the 
half-breadth plan ; then to end each water-line square down 
where they intersect the fore-part of the rabbet at the stem, 
and aft-part of the rabbet at the stern-post in the sheer-plan 
to the middle-line of the half-breadth plan; then take the 
half-siding of the stem and the stern-post at each water-line 
from the middle line in the body-plan, and set them respec¬ 
tively on the lines last squared down Irom the middle line in 
the half-breadth plan; from thence, as the centre, with com¬ 
passes opened to the thickness of the bottom plank, make a 
sweep, the back of which is the ending of the line. Then- 
complete the fore and after ends of each water-line with curves, 
as in the half-breadth plan, avoiding all inflected curves or 
hollow wafer-lines at the fore part, as they may be drawn by 
arcs of circles, although their centres may be without the 
limits of the plates of ship-building. 
Now the whole of the body may be completed under the 
lower height of breadth, observing to sweep each timber 
below its height of breadth, as before directed: then by 
taking off the half-breadth of each timber, where they in¬ 
tersect the water-lints from the middle line in the half¬ 
breadth plan, and setting them off on their corresponding 
water-lines from the middle line in the body-plan, curves 
passing through those spots will shape the timber; but to 
end them into the rabbet, or complete the heeling, the keel 
must be drawn in the body-plan; thus set off nine inches on 
the base line from each side of the middle line, being the 
half-siding of the keel, and also 18 inches below the base 
line, which squared will represent the thwartship section of 
the keel in midships: then, with compasses opened to the 
thickness of the bottom plank, fix one leg where the keel 
intersects the base line, which is the upper side of the rabbet, 
and sweep an arc within the keel to intersect the side, and 
from that intersection sweep another arc upwards: then a 
triangle drawn within those arcs, represents the rabbet of 
the keel in midships, and all the timbers along the midships, 
until the rabbet opens, and where the rabbet intersects the 
base line; but when the rabbet opens the timbers rising 
forward and aft, they will end over the back of the sweep to 
the inner edge of the rabbet. The timbers near the after- 
end of the keel must be ended agreeably to the tapering of 
the keel, which tapers in the siding from frame 24 to 15 
inches at the after-end ; this must be set off from the middle 
line in the half-breadth plan, and the half-siding of the keel 
taken at each timber, and setoff on the upper-edge of the 
keel from the middle line in the body-plan ; then set within 
the half-siding of the keel the thickness of the bottom plank, 
I L D I N G. 
and that ends the timber. But as the frames in the fore-body 
before O heel upon the stem, their heights must be taken in 
the sheer-plan, where they intersect the lower part of the 
rabbet, and those heights set up in the body-plan upon the 
half-thickness of the stem; then with compasses opened to 
the thickness of the bottom plank, fix one leg in the heights 
last set off, and sweep a circle within the siding, and the 
heel passes over the back of the circle, and the rabbet com¬ 
pleted by a square applied to the line of the timber, so as to 
intersect the height set up, as shewn in the plan of the fore¬ 
body, (PI. II.) 
Now, as a further proof of the correctness of the after¬ 
body, draw four or five perpendicular sections, or, as they are 
commonly called, buttock-lines; but first prove the heels of 
the after-timbers by the bearding line, thus: represent the 
half-thickness of the dead or rising wood in the body-plan, 
by drawing a perpendicular from the base line to the head of 
the stern-post. Then from the base line take the heights 
where the after-timbers cross the half-thickness of the dead 
wood, and set them up from the upper edge of .the rabbet 
on their corresponding timbers in the sheer-plan; then draw 
a curve through those heights, to break in fair with the fore¬ 
side of the rabbet on the stern-post, and this curve will re¬ 
present the bearding-line in the sheer-plan, and limits the 
heels of the stern-timbers, as far as they cut off or fay against 
the dead wood. 
The heels of the timbers being found to agree with the 
bearding-line, from the fairness of its curve (observe, the 
term fair, so often used in the delineation of the several 
plans of a ship, signifies that the variety of curved lines 
therein used have no inequalities in them, but are even as 
a circle struck from its centre, as most of the lines in the 
formation of ships’ bodies are curves, but many of their 
centres are too distant for application; and the fairness 
required is, that where every different curve unites no angle 
may be discoverable), proceed to prove the after timbers by 
the buttock-lines; thus, square up from the base line in the 
after-body plan five perpendiculars, equally divided between 
the outside of the wing-transom, and the half-thickness of 
the dead-wood; that is, the outer buttock-line at 15 feet 
10 inches, and the intermediate four at 3 feet 2 inches 
asunder. 
Then take the heights at the first buttock-line, or that next 
the post, at the intersection of each timber from the base 
line in the after-body, and set them up from the upper edge 
of ‘he rabbet on the corresponding timbers in the sheer-plan; 
and to end the buttock-lines, the upper side of the wing- 
transom and margin-line must be drawn in the several plans; 
thus, set up 26 feet 10 inches for the height of the upper 
side of the wing-transom in the sheer and body-plans, draw¬ 
ing a horizontal line at the stern-post and across the body- 
plan ; then from the middle line set off 16 feet 6 inches, the 
half-breadth of the wing-transom, and that place set down, 
below the upper side of the wing-transom, six inches, and 
sweep the arc, whose centre will be in the middle line; and 
the round-up of the upper side of the wing-transom will be 
represented as in the body-plan, (PI. II.); from the same 
centre sweep another arc six inches below the upper side of 
the wing-transom, which is called the margin-line. Then, 
in the half-breadth plan, sweep in the round aft or aft-side of 
the wing-transom; thus, square down from the sheer-pi an the 
fore-side of the rabbet of the stern-post, where it cuts the 
upper side of the wing-transom, to the half-breadth plan, and 
upon the line so squared down, set off the half-breadth of the 
wing-transom from the middle line, and at that place set 
forward seven inches, and sweep the arc representing the 
round aft of the wing-transom, the centre of which is in the 
middle line. 
Draw an horizontal line at six inches below the upper side 
of the wing-transom in the sheer-plan, and upon it square 
up the round forward of the wing-transom from the half¬ 
breadth plan; and from thence draw a line to the upper side 
of the wing-transom at the rabbet of the post, and the upper 
side of the wing-transom will be shewn, both to its round 
down 
