clinker construction and repair

Richard Johnstone-Bryden explains the basic principles of clinker construction and the method of replacing damaged hull planking

STEP BY STEP The stepped profile of clinker-built boats is immediately recognisable and has been a popular method of construction for over 1,000 years. In more recent times it has been predominately used for small wooden dinghies. However, the method has also been used for an interesting selection of larger vessels including the 7.9m (26ft) Whitby motorboat Le Bateau and the mighty Norfolk Wherries. In a clinker-built boat the planks run fore and aft, with the lower edge of one plank overlapping the outboard side of the upper edge of the plank below it. The planks are fastened to the timbers of the boat and to each other with copper nails which are clenched over washers called roves. A clinker-built boat is comparatively easy to repair because a damaged plank…

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Practical Boat Owner (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2015

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