Shipbuilding Terms and Phrases
The following pages are a glossary of shipbuilding terms from United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation publication The Building of a Wooden Ship by Charles G. Davis (1918), a long out-of-print book. These definitions will be very handy when reading the works of such authors as Davis, Howard I. Chapelle, V.R. Grimwood, and others I will reference in this blog. In some cases, I have added further clarification to a definition in the form of editor’s notes. These are in italic, contained in parentheses, and attribute the modern author of the clarification.

E

EDGE BOLT: to fasten the timbers together through the edge or narrow face.

EDGE SET: the distance a plank is to be forced edgewise.

EDGING OF PLANK: flawing or hewing it narrow.

EKING: supplying the deficiency in length of a piece of planking or timber by scarfing or butting; a filling-out piece.

ELEVATION: when applied to shipbuilding the perpendicular plan or longitudinal section of a vessel on which the heights and lengths are indicated; sometimes called the sheer draught.

ELLIOTT EYE: an eye spliced in on a hawser that contains a hawser.

ELLIPTICAL STERN: an oval-shaped stem.

ENSIGN HALYARDS: the small ropes or halyards by which the ensign is hoisted, whether the ensign is shown at the stem, masthead or peak.

ENTRANCE: a term applied to the fore wedge-shaped underpart of the vessel. Indicating the vessel has easy lines: “she has a fine entrance.”

ERECTION: the process of hoisting into place and bolting up the various parts of the vessel’s hull, machinery, etc.

EUPHROE: a small piece of wood having several parallel holes and used to spread the ropes or legs of an awning’s crowfoot.

EVEN KEEL: the vessel is said to be on “even keel” when the keel is level or parallel to the surface of the water; also when she has no inclination to list to either port or starboard.

EYE OR EYES: a spliced loop in the end of rope, hawser, line or wire rope cable; the hole in the top part of the anchor shank through which the anchor ring passes; a loop forged on the end of a bolt or bar of steel or iron “eyebolt.” The same term applies to the hawse holes in the bow of a vessel; “up in the eyes” refers to the extreme bow of the vessel either above or below decks.

EYEBOLT: a bolt formed with an eye or forged ring at the end.

EYELET HOLES: small holes worked into a sail, reinforced by sewing or with metal grommets; through these holes the lanyards or lashings for spreading or securing an awning are passed or rove.

F

FACE PIECES: wood pieces worked on the flat part of a knee.

FACING: the process of attaching one piece of timber to another with a rabbet; the purpose is to build up and strengthen.

FAIR: smooth without abruptness or unevenness; “fairing the lines” is the process of making them smooth or with a uniform curve without hollows or bumps.

FAIRLEAD (FAIRLEADER): a fitting, either wood or metal, through which a rope, line, etc., may be led, so as to change its direction slightly, without excessive friction.

FAIRNESS: when the buttocks, bow and sheer line in the profile, or level deck, knuckles and boundary line in the half breadth, and the frame stations in the body show a continuous easy curve, without abruptness, all lines coincide, the hull is said to be fair, or show fairness.

FAIR SHIP: to keep a ship square upon the shipbuilding ways during construction.

FALL: the hauling end of a rope or part of the tackle on which the pulling power is applied.

FALLING HOME OR TUMBLING HOME: the narrowing of a deck across a vessel’s beam;

the inward inclination from the perpendicular which the top sides of a vessel have above the water lines.

FALSE KEEL OR SHOE: lower or second keel composed of oak, elm or other hardwood fayed and securely fastened directly under the main keel, to prevent injury to the main keel in case the vessel should ground or strike the bottom.

FALSE RAIL (SPRAY BOARD, BUFFALO): a timber rail fayed upon the upper side of the main or upper rail of the head. Its purpose is to form a seat of ease and to strengthen the head rail next to the stem at the bow.

FASHION PIECES: timbers so called because they fashion the fantail and the slope of the stern at the after part of the ship; they are usually framed to the ends of the transom, deadwood and horn timbers.

FAST SECURE (MOORING ROPE, HAWSER, LINE): a rope to secure a vessel to the wharf.

FASTENINGS: nails, bolts, dowels, treenails, etc, used to secure the planks, timbers and framing of a vessel together. There are many kinds of fastenings; some of them are as follows: Single, double, double and single, external, inside, dump, taper, two drift, through fastening, etc.

FATHOM: a measure of length or depth equivalent to six linear feet.

FAY (FAYED, FAYING): the process of joining and fitting together accurately one piece of timber or planking to another.

FELT: a matted fibrous material which is produced in sheets and which is generally impregnated with coal tar, creosote or some similar product or preservative and is used between the over sheathing and planking to prevent and to protect the planking from the attacks of the teredo and other destructive seaworms.

FENDER: a fitting, cushion device or spar, to prevent damage to the ship’s hull at or near the water line, by another vessel, floating objects, docks, etc.

FID (KEY): a block of wood or iron used to support a topmast or top-gallant mast, by placing it through the fid hole in the heel of the mast, like a key, to allow it to rest on the trestle trees; also a conical pointed piece of hardwood like a large marlin spike used for splicing large ropes, opening eyes of rigging, etc.

FIDDLE BLOCK: an elongated shell containing two sheaves in which the larger sheave is generally above the smaller.

FIDLEY: a room or compartment directly over the boilers, through which the uptake pipe or smoke-stack passes. This room is generally the means of ventilation of the boiler compartment. It is not fitted with decks, but has iron gratings instead.

FIDLEY HATCH: the hatch at the top of the fidley around the smoke-stack and uptake.

FIFE-RAIL: the rail surrounding a mast, secured to the mast or deck, arranged with holes in which belaying pins are inserted. Modern vessels are not arranged in this way. Belaying-pins are generally attached to the mast on a spider-band.

FIGUREHEAD: a figure, generally in the form of a woman, which is attached to the upper forward side of the stem; sometimes a coat of arms or a crest is used. Vessels are rarely built with this ornamentation today.

FILLER (DUTCHMAN): a piece of wood inserted in a made-up mast to cover a defect or to make up a deficiency; a composition used on woodwork to fill the pores of the wood before applying paint.

FINISHING: curved ornamentation on the quarter gallery or the stem quarter; generally below the second counter, and above the upper lights. This decoration is rarely put on vessels now.

FISHING: the act, process or operation of joining two spars together by lashing them.

FISH THE ANCHOR: a term describing the process of securing the anchor in its permanent position or location on the deck of the vessel ready to go to sea; also the process of hoisting the anchor to the anchor davits, and leaving it hanging in that position; called “catting the anchor.”

FLAGSTAFF: the flagpole at the stern of a vessel.

FLAIRING (FLARING): in shipbuilding a frame indicating that the vessel has sides or a bow curving gradually outward from the base; spreading or bulging; the reverse of falling or tumbling home. The upper part of the bow is often made flairing, an easy method of construction which will help to prevent the vessel’s bow becoming immersed so deeply when the vessel is pitching badly in heavy weather.

FLAM: similar to flairing.

FLAP: a term applied to a small partial deck built almost level, with either a fore-and-aft or athwartship curvature.

FLATS: a term given to frames or timbers amidships that are not beveled, and are similar to the dead-flat. In framing the “dead flat character” is sometimes put on the timber, indicating that it is dead-flat.

FLEET: the process of spreading apart two blocks of a tackle.

FLEMISH COILS: coiling a rope when starting in the center and working to the outside.

FLITCH: the wide timbers from which frames are sawed. A flitch is generally a slab cut, from bark to bark.

FLOOR: the horizontal portion of a transverse frame extending from the keel or center line of the vessel to the bilge; a term applied to the bottom of the hold on the inside of the vessel.

FLUSH: an even level surface, a flush deck; a deck without bulwarks; level fore-and-aft without interruptions or obstructions.

FLY: see Vane.

FOOT-WALING: inside planks or ceiling in a vessel laid over and fastened to floor timbers or frames.

FORE: towards the front or forward side of anything.

FOREBODY: the forward half of a vessel.

FORECASTLE: the forward portion of the hold, generally used for the crew’s quarters.

FORECASTLE DECK: the deck over the forecastle at the extreme bow of the vessel.

FORE CHANNEL: the channel on the top sides of the vessel through which the fore shrouds are attached.

FOREFOOT: the corner or angle on the forward outside bottom of the stem where the gripe is fayed to the stem and keel.

FOREHOODS: the end pieces of planking at the bow which terminate at the rabbet and which are fastened to the stem, apron, deadwood, etc.

FORELOCK: a fitted wedge of iron used to secure a bolt in place by being thrust through a hole in the round end of the bolt. It is sometimes slightly bent to prevent becoming detached, a method of fastening similar to the cotter or split pin.

FOREMAST: the forward mast in all vessels having two or more masts. In vessels having only one mast it is called the “mainmast.”

FOREPEAK: the compartment in extreme forward part of the vessel’s hold under the deck and forecastle, directly in the eyes of the vessel.

FORERAKE: the angle or inclination of a vessel’s stem forward at the top.

FORERIGGING: the shrouds and beck stays, with the ratlines for the bracing and support of the foremast.

FORESAIL: the sail on the foremast which is stretched along the boom or yard.

FORE-AND-AFT SAILS: the sails which are nominally carried on a vessel in a fore-and-aft direction. They are triangular or rectangular in shape and are always secured on their forward side to a stay or the mast. All fore-and-aft sails carried forward of the mast are triangular. All fore-and-aft sails abaft the foremast, if carried on the stays or carried on the mast without gaffs, are triangular. If a gaff is used they are rectangular. The foot of a fore-and-aft sail may be used with or without a boom.

FORESHROUDS: same as forerigging.

FORESTAY OR HEADSTAY: the hemp or wire ropes leading from the stem to the head of the mast or hounds. This is to stay or brace the mast in a fore-and-aft direction.

FORESTAY SAIL: the head sail forward of the foremast which is set on the forestay.

FORE-YARD: a yard carried on or supported on the foremast. This might apply to a wireless yard.

FORWARD: near or towards the bow.

FOXEY (FOXY): see Druxey.

FOURFOLD BLOCK: a purchase block having four sheaves.

FOURFOLD PURCHASE: a purchase which has two blocks of four sheaves each.

FRAME: the wooden portion of the hull formed by the stem, stem, rudder-post, keel, keelsons, hold-beams, deck-beams, clamps, waterways, stringers and ribs, to which the skin or shell, ceiling and planking are fastened; a term sometimes applied to one frame or rib of a vessel.

FRAME SPACING: the fore-and-aft distance between the center lines of adjacent frames.

FRAME-TIMBERS: the several timbers composing the frame of a vessel; these may be the floor and futtock-timbers. The number of timbers in a frame depends upon the design of the vessel and the position of the frame in the vessel.

FRAMING: the supporting and stiffening structure of a vessel over which the planking, ceiling and decks are fastened. It usually consists of tranverse frames or ribs, beams, floors, etc., and the longitudinal framing or keel, keelsons, longitudinal stringers, water-ways, clamps, etc.

FREEBOARD: the vertical distance from the upper or water-tight deck to the watter-line or surface of the water.

FREEING PORT: an opening in the vessel’s bulwarks to allow the water to run freely overboard. In heavy or rough water if the sea boards or breaks on the deck, these ports carry off the water quickly.

FURL: the process of rolling up or securing a sail or awning.

FURLING-LINE: small line or lanyard used to secure a sail or awning to the boom, mast or awning backbone after it has been furled. When a furling-line is cut into independent short lengths these pieces are called “stops” or “gaskets.”

FURNITURE: a term applied to the rigging, spars, anchors, sails, cables and other fittings of a vessel.

FUTTOCK-BANDS: an iron or steel band encircling the mast just below the top, and to which the futtock-shrouds are attached.

FUTTOCK CHAIN-PLATES: iron or steel chain-plates to which the futtock-shrouds are attached.

FUTTOCKS: the timbers forming a part of a vessel’s frame, being an extension of the floor up to and around the bilge to the top-timber. A frame may have several futtocks.

FUTTOCK-SHROUDS: short shrouds or iron rods which extend from the lower end of the futtock chain-plates to the futtock-bands.

FUTTOCK-STAFF: a short length of wood or iron covered with canvas or leather, seized across the topmast rigging in a similar manner to the sheer-pole.