Sailor1234567890 Posted January 9, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 9, 2014 I have noticed a lot of models with a curious little horseshoe shaped piece let into the keel by the forefoot. What is it's purpose? It seems to be to strengthen the connection down there but I would think a simple plate would be easier to fashion as well as stronger. Could anyone help me out. Never seen that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druxey Posted January 10, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 10, 2014 It is actually called a horseshoe plate and does strengthen the complex three-piece joint there. Actually, there is a plate on each side, and the bolts pass right through. Most models do not show this detail, but it was there on the actual ships. mtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtaylor Posted January 10, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 10, 2014 Druxey, Was that a purely English item? Do you know if other nations used it? u21rw87 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trippwj Posted January 10, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 10, 2014 Not unique to British ships - see the example on the Confederacy. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1395-downloadable-instructions-for-the-model-shipways-confederacy-kit/?p=27142 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor1234567890 Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted January 12, 2014 That Great Lakes ship's bow is how I would envision it to be. Seems there's so much more effort to fabricate a horseshoe shaped piece than a straight flat piece. Or a circular plate. Thanks for the answers guys. Anybody know when they stopped using them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druxey Posted January 14, 2014 Share #6 Posted January 14, 2014 'Fish' in the sense used here refers to joining together. An example is fishing a cracked yard with a reinforcement piece. In England, the pieces joining two lengths of railway line rail together were called fish plates. It's quite possible that the word was a corruption from French 'afficher', to stick or put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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