Boat Plank Joinery- Sewn Boats

In an earlier chapter it is stated that, Indian boat building has followed the sewn hull tradition or tradition with wooden nails, and metal nails - copper or galvanized iron nails. The nailed boats are of two major forms of build: either carvel or clinker. Carvel build has planks fitted edge to edge, flush with each other. Clinker build has the planks overlapping each other in a vertical direction. This build is also of two forms: the lower plank is fully exposed on the outer side touching the water, while the upper plank’s lower side overlaps the other on the inner side. The other clinker type has the lower plank partially covered on the upper edge by the upper plank on the outside facing water. The two types of build are known respectively as normal and reverse clinker build. Clinker building demands a larger quantum of use of timber, because of the overlap. At present, the most commonly prevalent form in the Indian boats is the carvel build, clinker built boats being found only in the Lake Chilka and the river mouth of Damra in Orissa, as well as in the middle reaches of some of the tributary rivers of Bihar, flowing into the Ganga from the northern side. In the past, however, clinker built boats were more widely prevalent as on Konkan coast. The war boats of the Maratha Navy in the 17 th and 18 th centuries were mostly clinker built. The overlap of planks one above another prevents water spilling from lapping waves from entering into the boat.