Ship specifications

[RobbieZ]

Can someone please tell me:

1) what is the typical size of a European hull plank during the 17th century?

2) the same for the deck planking.

 

thank you

[Gregory]

Take a look at some of the build logs for 17th century ships.

[wefalck]

... and typically they used what was available. So, one would need to specify, where the ship in question was built.

 

Say, in the Netherland, particularly the Zaanstrek, they had easy access to semi-industrial sawn planks due to the large number of wind-driven saw-mills. In other parts of Europe, there may have been planks sawn in water-driven saw-mills, while in many parts of Europe planks had to be sawn by hand, making them expensive.

 

In general, planks could be rather wide, due to the still relative abundance of large trees, which rapidly declined in the following century.

[chevmoed]

For a seventeenth-century European ship, the hull edges were often between 20 and 30 cm wide. The deck planks were thinner, usually around 15 to 20 cm depending on the type of ship.