A cant is a framing timber installed obliquely rather than square to the keel. In traditional wooden shipbuilding, cant frames are used at the bow and stern where the hull shape tapers sharply. This angled placement ensures the outer planking lies flush against the frame, providing structural integrity in the highly curved sections of the hull.
Heard on the job
The shipwrights are shaping the forward cant frames to match the steep curve of the bow.
Also heard as
- cant frame
- cant timber