3. Rabbet Line:

While this rabbet recess is not strictly necessary it is how it was done on a real ship. The idea is to give the garboard plank, (first plank against the keel) a better and stronger sealing joint. The rabbet recess operation can be done away with and the garboard plank installed directly against the keel itself. There is no indication that this operation has not been carried out in the completed model. Again make sure the transition from bearding to rabbet is smooth and flowing without bumps. The rabbet recess is show in section form in figure 2 at CC, and again in figure 2a at sections B, C and D.

Figure 2A:

Section A shows the relationship of the bearding line to the planking at the stern of the ship. Section E shows the angle of the bearding line at the stem. In both cases if the rabbet recess is used both details need to flow into each other smoothly so as to prevent a gap or an unsightly bulge in the planking in that region. A gap or a bulge is a difficult matter to fix later when things have been glued into place so take your time and check this part of the operation carefully.