A boat with lapstrake construction. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Definition

AKA clinker/clinch-built

Noun

  • The planking of a craft where the lower edge of each stake overlaps the one below it.

Origin

From the Old Saxon word, lepel, meaning overlap.

Comments

This is an old building technique used worldwide. Mostly found in small boatbuilding since if used on larger vessels, the increased wetted surface from the overlapping planks would cause additional drag.

References

Kemp, P. (1994). The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press.

King, D., Hattendorf, J.B, & Estes, J.W. (1997). A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales (2nd Ed.). Owl Books.

Rogers, J.G. (1985). Origins of Sea Terms. Mystic Seaport.