Kelson

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Kelson marked with 17 Boat parts.jpg
Kelson marked with 17

The kelson or keelson [1] is the member which, particularly in a wooden vessel, lies parallel with its keel but above the transverse members such as timbers, frames or in a larger vessel, floors. It is fastened to the keel partly to impart additional longitudinal stiffness to it but principally to bind the longitudinal members (keel and hog) to the transverse members (frames and floors).

Keel Lower centreline structural element of a ship or boat hull

On boats and ships, the keel is either of two parts: a structural element that sometimes resembles a fin and protrudes below a boat along the central line, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event. Only the ship's launching is considered more significant in its creation.

Overview

In an open boat it is often fastened to the keel and hog in such a way that it can be removed for maintenance. Again, it lies above the boat's frames or timbers as they cross the hog but in this instance, its main function is frequently to provide a means of holding down the bottom boards in such a way that they can easily be removed for maintenance. The keelson of an open boat is normally arranged to be flush with the bottom boards so as to reduce the chance of the crew's tripping over it.

In an open boat or in a larger vessel, the hog is the structural member which lies immediately above the keel to which it is permanently and securely fastened so that the two form one member to which the lowest strakes (the garboard strakes) are fastened.

Strake

A strake is a course of the planking or plating of the hull of a vessel. In a wooden construction it is a strip of planking running longitudinally along the vessel's bottom and sides. In a metal ship it is a course of plating.

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  1. "the definition of keelson". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2016-05-07.