A traditional shipbuilding reference model constructed by gluing or pinning together flat horizontal boards, each cut to the shape of a specific water line from the ship's plans. Once stacked, the stepped edges are sanded smooth to reveal the true three-dimensional curve of the hull. Shipwrights use these models to verify the fairness of the lines before lofting the full-size frames.
Heard on the job
The apprentice spent three days sanding the water-line model until the sheer was perfectly fair.
Also heard as
- half-hull model
- lift model