Spirketting to Standard

A thick strake, or strakes, wrought withinside upon the ends of the beams or waterways. In ships that have ports the spirketting reaches from the waterways to the upper side of the lower sill, which is generally of two strakes, wrought anchor-stock fashion; in this case the planks should always be such as will work as broad as possible, admitting the butts to be about six inches broad.

The spaces forward and abaft the paddle-boxes on steamboats. Sponson beam. The beam which projects from a steamboat's side and forms the shape of the paddle-boxes. Sponson rim. The whale in the steamboat's side upon which the paddle-beam rests and is supported.

Pieces of timber fixed on the bilge-ways their upper ends being bolted to the vessel's sides above the water. Also curved pieces of timber serving as half-beams to support the decks where the whole beams cannot be placed.

Large pieces of timber that come abaft the pump-well.

The figure which comprehends all the timbers whose areas or planes are perpendicular to the keel, which is all that portion of a ship between the cant-bodies. (See Bodies.)

The timbers which stand square with, or perpendicular to, the keel.

A name given to the after part of a ship's bottom when terminated in the same direction, up and down, as the wing transom, and the plank of the bottom end in a rabbet at the foreside of the fashion-piece; whereas ships with a buttock are round or circular, and the planks of the bottom end upon the wing-transom.

That quality which enables a ship to keep herself steadily in the water, without rolling or pitching. Stability, in the construction of a ship, is only to be acquired by fixing the centre of gravity at a certain distance below the meta-centre, because the stability of the vessel increases with the altitude of the meta-center above the centre of gravity. But when the meta-centre coincides with the centre of gravity the vessel has no tendency whatever to remove out of the situation into which it may be put. Thus, if the vessel be inclined either to the starboard or larboard side, it will remain in that position till a new force is impressed upon it; in this case, therefore, the vessel would not be able to carry sail, and is, consequently, unfit for the purposes of navigation. If the meta-centre falls below the common centre of gravity, the vessel will immediately overset.

An inverted knee placed above the deck instead of beneath it, as a bitt-standard, etc.