Schooner plank length

[alross2]

At the turn of the 20th Century, were deck planks generally cut to standardized lengths or did the yards use random lengths to get the most use out of the lumber?

 

Al Ross

[Jaager]

The ASA rules up to 1903  call for both deck planks and hull planks to be "the greatest length possible".

I suspect that by the turn of the 20th century, a significant portion of the old growth timber had been felled in eastern North America..

The mid 19th century US Navy wanted  deck planks to be 40 feet long.  The favored species was (I think) Yellow Pine.  It is not a wood that is seen much today - maybe some is recycled - everything usable was harvested - it is a species that is rock hard, it liked to turn a nail - not at all a soft Softwood.  I think that some has been replanted, but without consulting my Silviculture references, I suspect a species that hard and tall would be fairly slow growing.  As desirable as it would be, I suspect that a southern tree farmer would have to plant Yellow Pine for his grandchildren or great grandchildren to harvest.  I sort of doubt that Georgia Pacific would be up for doing it.

 

So I think it would come down to what was available, as to length.  Your guess would be as good as mine, on what it would be.  It was probably even more restricted in Northern and Western Europe.   My shipyard will use planks 25-40 feet long.  But for an individual ship, a single length, instead of random.   If a particular strake would need a short piece at either end,  the intent is to cheat and use a longer board instead of having a stub.   It is important to follow the butt stagger rules.  After seeing so much of the opposite here,  the goal is to have the butts not so obvious to avoid the busy look.  The deck is not supposed to be a star.  My yard inspectors mentally register the words: tacky, boring, naive, distracting, inauthentic  on viewing a job done like that.   It is also to wonder about the logic behind having obvious and contrasting trunnels just at the butts and not also at every beam.?  In any case, trunnels should not be a contrasting shade.

[allanyed]

Al

Jaager makes excellent points.  Are you talking about military, pleasure, fishing or some other type of schooner?  English, American, Canadian, or???  If not a specific schooner, what size vessel?  If you can provide these additional details, that could be a help in providing sources and/or details.

Allan 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by allanyed

[alross2]

WYOMING, Percy & Small, 6 master.

 

[allanyed]

Thanks Al,

Have you been in touch with Maine Maritime Museum which I think is part of  or next to the current shipyard complex which consists of five buildings, all part of the original Percy and Small Shipyard?  As these are 20th century, perhaps they still have scantlings and/or drawings that may be of some help to you.

 

Other members here may have more details for you based on their own research.

 

Allan

[CafeBikeGirl]

Planks in the pictures I took of the Schooner Lynx appear to use long planks, I can't tell how long but certainly longer than 10 ft. Planks fit the taper of the boat like they would on the hull so at the bow and stern the planks taper inwards and some of them are trimmed to be crescent shaped so they can run long lengths on the edges without having short pieces. The butt of every 3rd plank lines up so it does create some regular pattern but it is not every other plank like what is often depicted in assembly instructions provided with the kit.