Planking the bow

Starboard tack

Here you can see that the planking has already progressed well above the waterline. Admittedly, at this stage the planks are becoming much longer.

Port tack

Producing a single plank with a total length of over 20 metres (60 ft) is extremely difficult. To achieve this, usually at least two planks are joined togther to reach the required ship's length.

The boat builders need several days to be able to bend such a long and thick (4 cm - 1.6 inch) plank in three dimensions and to fit it exactly onto the hull and plank below.