Fishes and Fishing or Fish Plates and Fish Plating

[MainlySteam]

Have just reread Joshua Slocums Voyage of the Liberdade in which he refers to fishes and fishing when repairing a mast.

Are fish plates (not the ones of the eating off sort /forums/images/icons/smile.gif) just for railway lines or are the terms now interchangable?

Thanks in advance for any comments on modern usage and history of usage.

John

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[Spuddy]

coincidentally... just come across an article in an OLD mag about a Liberdade replica, using ply and junk rig. the owner and builder was over 60 with only one eye and half of various other vital bits missing.
Just been to look for mag to check name but can't find it.
Anyone know what happened to this admirable enthusiast and his transat voyage??
Thought I'd check but can't find a mention of fishing or fish plates in any of my mech. engineering textbooks; more structures I suppose and I've heard it used about trusses. Just got an image of a fish in a truss------
regards, spuddy

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[MainlySteam]

Hi Spuddy

I think this is the one you mean (guy has one eye anyway so perhaps close enough if not /forums/images/icons/smile.gif) - <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sinnett-jones.freeserve.co.uk/index3.html>http://www.sinnett-jones.freeserve.co.uk/index3.html</A>.

John

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[chippie]

I wonder whether it is a corruption of 'flitch plate'. This is a piece of timber used to lap either side of a joint in a floor joist for example.

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[Peppermint]

Re: And a Flitch is...

a large ham.

So thats fish and ham sorted. We need more grub though.

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[AndrewB]

Fishing: "To strengthen or repair a damaged spar by lashing a batten or another spar to it". Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing and Architecture, Dixon Kemp, 1913.


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[jamesjermain]

Yes, that's the one. The story appeared in YM but I can't remember which issue - it was at least seven years ago. Paul Gelder has a better memory for this sort of thing that I have so it could be worth giving the office a ring

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[jamesjermain]

My memory told me fishing was repairing a past by cutting a V slot in one part and a matching dart in the other then gluing and binding the two together.

However, I have just looked it up in my dictionary where it talks about repairing a sprung or broken spar by lashing a piece of timber across the break or weakened section

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[Talbot]

It is a term that you will see in Pat O'Brian's books as well. It was a common method of strengthening spars (and masts) after some tinker had knocked bits off with cannon balls!

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