A spale is a temporary batten or brace nailed across the ribs or frames of a wooden boat during construction. It locks the frames at the correct width and angle before the permanent deck beams and planking are installed. Shipwrights remove the spales one by one as the hull gains its own structural rigidity.
Heard on the job
Don't remove that forward spale until we get the sheer strake fastened down.
Insider tip
Leaving a spale in too long can interfere with fitting the interior joinery.
Also heard as
- cross-spall