In primitive boatbuilding, the builder often used width of hand, length of forearm, and length between knuckles as units of measurement. Notched sticks also were used for measuring. More advanced building methods, using molds, required that the keel, the stem, and the sternpost be set up on stakes or blocks and that an arbitrary midship frame be erected in place. The curved members required for this frame were made from molds, used by shifting the butts to produce boats of varying size but similar form. After the midsection frame was put in place, two or more battens on each side were secured, one to form the sheer line, one along the turn of the bilge, and often one along the ends of the floor timbers, or short frame members, that crossed the keel. Sometimes other battens were fitted between the bilge and sheer battens and between the bilge and floorhead battens. Individual frame members were then shaped to fit inside the battens at selected intervals; when all the frames were made, the battens were removed and the hull was planked. All frames were hewn from crooked timber.
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