Wayne
you have put a lot of efforts to get the info on this site. I have some additional info for you (and others) who are interested in shipbuilding. First of all: even if you spoke Dutch it still is very difficult to read (trust me I'm Dutch ). The 17th century Dutch differs very much of the modern one. Nic Witsen was a scientist and traveller who has written quite a number of books, but he was no shipwright. In one chapter he "builds a ship in his thoughts" resulting in a "Pinas", typical Dutch vessel of the 17th century, based on what a shipwright told him how a ship was built. About shipbuilding in that (important) period there is hardly anything written down. The reason is that shipwrights only used the total measurements of a ship to be build and based on their experience (and as the axe fell) the result would be a ship meeting the requirements i.e. length, width, etc..
This book and another "Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Opengestelt" by a shipwright called Cornelius van Yk are the two bibles to reconstruct dutch ships of the 17th century. In the Netherlands are at present 2 locations where you can find shipyards where they reconstruct or have reconstructed (Batavia) ships of the 16th and 17th century, that mant something in dutch history. You can find info (also in English) on http://www.bataviawerf.nl/and (Dutch only) for the ship of Willem Barentsz (exploring a seaway to Asia going over the North) http://www.dewillembarentsz.nl/
greetings
Peter
