Now, as the other timbersapproach the stem in the fore body, and those towards the stern post in the after body differ in shape materially from those timbers near the midahips, it will be necessary to draw .in several horizontal or water lines, as they are called ; for supposing the ship was floating on an even keel, and in an up right position, sections from side to side would thus be formed by the water. Here also we would show that every attention has been paid, and notice to our readers that vessels, in general, are found in their best sailing trim when they incline abaft from one to two feet, and sometimes more, particularly sharp constructed bo dies, and that the tipper one, being the load-water line, is drawn to this inclina tion, and that the several water lines be low it have been kept parallel thereto ; thus in the common mode of represent ing the water lines, in the half breadth plan, their correct shape at those places was not accurately ascertained; and as it is not necessary they should be so drawn, horizontal lines are more preferable, and more useful ; therefore draw in the sheer plan five horizontal lines, above the upper edge of the keel, 3 feet 8 inches asunder.
Now, as these lines are parallel to the keel, they will be shown by straight lines parallel to each other across the body plan; otherwise, were they inclined lines in the sheer plan, they would form curves at their heights in the body plan ; but in either case they form curves in the half breadth plan, limiting the half breadth of the ship at the height of their correspond ing lines in the sheer plan ; and these be ing the lines we are now about to repre sent, let their formation forward and aft be very nicely considered, for it is easy to conceive, as they approach the keel, and finish into the stem and stern-post, or vanish there, we may say they must taper very suddenly at those places, yet let not their form partake of hollow concave in flected curves but as little as possible, and not at all forward, as it has been prov ed a mistaken notion of giving velocity. Proceed then, as before directed, to set off on each corresponding timber from the middle line of the half breadth plan the following halfbreadths : and first, for the upper, or fifth water line, set off at S,19 feet; at 0, 22 feet l' inches; at IC, 23 feet 6 inches; at F, 23 feet 10 inches; at ®, 23 feet 11 inches ; at 6, 23 feet 11 inches. Observe, between 6 and F the water lines are kept parallel, or nearly so, to the' main half breadth line : set off at 12, 23 feet 10i inches ; at 18, 23 feet 4 inches ; at 24, 22 feet 3 inches; at 30, 19 feet 7 inches; and at 36, 8 feet 5 inches. Now, to end the aft part correctly, square down, from the nearest perpendicular, where the aft-side of the rabbit of the post is cut by the fifth or upper water line, in the sheer plan, down to the mid dle line, of the half breadth plan, from whence square up a line, on which set up the half thickness of the stern-post from the body plan; but, in order to do this, set off the half thickness of the stern.
post from the middle line, in the after body plan, thus: set off 11 inches at the head, and continue it parallel to the middle line as low down as the deck transom, which is 2 feet 2 inches below the upper side of the wing transom ; from thence it is to taper with a straight line, to 7 inches on the upper side of the keel. Then the half thickness of the poet may be taken at each water line, in the body plan, and set up from the middle line in the half breadth plan to its correspond big ending, as squared down from the slicer plan, where the water lines inter sect the aft•side of the rabbit on the stern post; then, with a radius of 4 inches, sweep an arch within the half thickness of the post, on the half breadth plan, and the water line ends, intersecting the back of the arch, and a line squared out from the back of the water line, to cut the half siding of the post, would show the thickness of the bottom plank in that di rection. Proceed to complete the fore part of the upper water line, with a 35 feet 6 inches radius, and ending of it similar as the main half breadth was ; and, for the centre of the radius, draw an ho rizontal line at 11 feet 6 inches, under the middle line of the half breadth plan, with the above radius extended from the half breadth, or spot, given at timber 8, gives the centre, where it cuts the line last drawn ; then sweeping an arch from S to the rabbit, will complete the upper wa ter line.
Proceed to set off the several half breadths and endings of the fourth water line as before ; set up at 8, 16 feet 8 inch ce ; at 0, 21 feet ; at K, 22 feet 5 inches ; at F, 22 feet 10i inches ; at (130, 23 feet ; at 6, 22 feet inches ; at 12, 22 feet 10 inches ; at 18, 22 feet 2 inches ; at 24, 20 feet 8 inches ; at 30,16 feet 8 inches ; and at 36, 2 feet 11 inches. To sweep the fore part, draw a line under the middle line, in the half breadth plan, and paral lel to it, at 21 feet 9 inches ; then with a radius of 47 feet, from the half breadth at 8, sweep in the fore part to the rabbit, as the paper on which the draught is drawn will not extend so low as this; in this case of sweeping in the fore part of half breadth lines, an additional sheet is placed underneath for this purpose. Ending of the water lines being all the same abaft, refer to the ending of the upper water line.