The Schoppen

Sealing the joints

Once all the structural parts of the hull were joined, the next step was the Schoppen, the sealing of the joints. To do this, the ship was leaned up, i.e. tilted sideways, to make the bottom accessible.

The joints had a triangular cross-section due to the bevelling of the shutter edges. First, a triangular shaving, the mias axe, was laid into the joints, then mias = moss was pressed in with a wedge-shaped mallet. On top of this came another thin, flat chip, the zain, which was pressed down with the help of small clamps made of sheet iron beaten over it. The moss, like the wooden nails, has the property of swelling when exposed to water, thus preventing water from entering.

After sealing half the floor and one wall, the ship was leaned up against the other side and the process repeated. Rafen (thin logs cut in half) were often placed on the outside of the butt of the floor and wall to protect the ship when starting. The same protection was provided by sole boards nailed to the floor as protection against grounding.

Finally, the walls were baked and given the typical zebra pattern. Whether this was purely for decorative purposes or to take the tension out of the walls like an indentation can no longer be said with certainty. Once this was done, the ship could be thrown onto the water.