Lapstrakes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A method of boat construction involving overlapping wooden planks to create a sturdy and watertight hull design
2. Referring to the specific technique in shipbuilding where each plank is laid over the edge of the previous one for enhanced strength and durability
3. Describing the characteristic style of traditional boats that feature planks fitted together in a manner that forms a distinctive and functional outer layer

Etymology: "Lapstrakes" is the plural of "lapstrake", a term for boat construction in which each plank overlaps the one below it, rather than sitting flush edge to edge. The word is a compound of "lap", in the sense of an overlapping edge, and "strake", a row or strip of planking along a ship's hull. Together they describe the method literally: the strakes lie lapped over one another. Because the overlapping planks shed water and give a hull strength, lapstrake (also called clinker) became the traditional way to build small boats in northern Europe, and the word belongs largely to the vocabulary of boatbuilding. Its two parts are plain English, so the term reads transparently to anyone who knows what a lap joint is.