Fastenings

At this phase of the work there is very few information on the nature of the fastenings and fastening patterns.  Both iron nails - with square shanks about 4 x 4 mm in section - and treenails - about 2.5 cm in diameter - were found on the Arade 1 shipwreck, as well as iron bolts - around 2.8 cm in diameter.

The keel scarves may have been fastened with iron nails, since remains of iron concretions were spotted on the lateral surfaces of the keel, in the supposed connection of the keel to the stempost.

Fig. 50 - Concretion of an iron nail from the ceiling planking (photo: Filipe Castro).

All floor timbers were fastened to the keel with one, two, or three treenails (see Table III).

Fig. 51 - Treenails sticking out of the upper surface of the frames after removal of the ceiling planking (photo: Augusto Salgado).

The keel was fastened to the keelson or maststep with iron bolts at least in two places, between floor timbers C10 and C11, and floor timbers C14 and C15.

Fig. 52 - Concretion with the imprint of bolt that connected the keel and the keelson or maststep       (photo: Filipe Castro).

The planking was fastened to the frames with one or two treenails per plank and per frame.

The ceiling was also fastened to the frames with treenails, although it is not possible, at this stage, to say how many treenails were inserted from the outside, through the outer planking and frames, and how many - if any - were inserted from the inside.

As mentioned before, it seems that some fore and aft treenails run through more than two timbers (Figs. 39 and 53).

Fig. 53 - Treenail running through timbers C3/B3E/C2 (photo: Filipe Castro).