Hello everyone! I have a question relating to the construction of the "rabbet" on my current build "Hawkins Gunboat No.3" by Dikar (1:50 scale). The instructions do not show that a rabbet needs to be created, either by carving or other methods. I have reviewed other builds and I have seen some models have a rabbet and others without. I understand the rabbets' function, but I was just curious as to why some have, and some do not have a rabbet? And yes, I have created a rabbet on the Hawkins! Best, wayne
It is hard to give a nice look to the hull planking if planks would not get inserted into a rabbet groove at the ships bottom. Planks are so much easier to install this way. I do not say it is not possible to do without it too.
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I can add from my archaeological perspective that some ships have rabbets in the keel and some do not (I have excavated both types). Completely flat-bottomed vessels often dispense with a rabbet in the middle of the hull. Early Viking ships also do not have a rabbet in the conventional sense, but use a T-section keel for attachment of the garboard.
Fred
Fred
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a rabbit was something model ship modelers assumed was used on all ships which is not the case
here is a ship wreck of a Great Lakes schooner that did not have a rabbit the ends of the hull planking was nailed to an apron behind the stem.
here is a ship wreck of a Great Lakes schooner that did not have a rabbit the ends of the hull planking was nailed to an apron behind the stem.
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back in the early days 1960-1970ish information on ship building was hard to come by. Ether you wrote a letter to a maritime museum and waited a month or so for a reply or went with what other model builders were doing. You might see a model builder cut a rabbit in the side of a keel and not having any other source of information assumed ok so that is how ships were built. As an example i remember reading all ships used wooden treenails for planking and attaching timbers, As more and more information became available these "facts" were not really facts at all. Rabbits were not always cut into the side of a keel they were built with a heavy timber on top of the keel creating a T shape, iron and copper rods and spikes were used and not all ships were built using treenails.
Early information was used over and over and in time passed along as facts.
these are not treenails they are iron planking spikes.
personally if i built a plank on bulkhead hull i build in the rabbit on a framed up hull i do not bother cutting a rabbit
check out the rabbit on the Sultana build
Early information was used over and over and in time passed along as facts.
these are not treenails they are iron planking spikes.
personally if i built a plank on bulkhead hull i build in the rabbit on a framed up hull i do not bother cutting a rabbit
check out the rabbit on the Sultana build