Ship Construction

There are two types of ship construction: clinker-built and carvel-built. Clinker-built ships have hulls constructed with overlapping strakes, or planks. Clinker-built hulls are able to flex along the length of the vessel, the better to cope with the rough northern waters where they are more common. Carvel-built ships are more common in the calmer southern waters, and are constructed with the strakes butting against each other, forming a smooth-sided hull. They are generally stronger than clinker-built vessels, allowing for larger ships, but tend to be slower in the water.

Ship builders generally treat the hull as one entity and any upper works, such as fore and aft towers or castles, as sepa-