MBT Dutch Fluyt - Building Drawing Scale 1 : 162 (10.00.002) - Test

The fluyt ship originated in the Northern Netherlands at the end of the_16th century from experiments with lengthening existing ships. Ships with this elongated hull,_called gaings, already appeared in_1588.^[1]_Pieter Jansz Vael, known as the merchant_Pieter Jansz Liorne, designed an even slimmer unarmed ship in 1595. Characteristic features were a round, decorated stern and an inward-sloping topside, which gave the ship its pear shape. There was an important economic reason for this shape: a toll was levied on the_Sound. The amount of the_Sound Toll_depended on the width of the deck. Due to the narrow deck above the wide hold, a maximum cargo could be transported for a minimal toll. This method of calculating tolls remained in use until_1669. Ships built after that were given a wider deck.

The fluyt was particularly suitable for trade in Europe due to the limited number of crew members required to sail it (approximately 12 compared to about 30 for other types of ships of similar dimensions) and its shallow draught. The fluyt was also faster and more stable than many other ships, and had a greater cargo capacity. The cargo capacity increased during the century from 100_last_to 180 last, and per crew member from 9 _ 10 last to 13 to 14 last.^[1]_The ship therefore became one of the most important ship types for Dutch international shipping. In the_Dutch Golden Age, up to eighty percent of seagoing vessels consisted of fluyts.^[source?]_Four to five hundred were built annually at the shipyards in Holland and Zeeland. This was also made possible at the time, among other things, by the technical innovation of the_wood-sawing mill. Mechanical sawing allowed fluyt ships to be produced quickly and cheaply.

In 1671,_Nicolaes Witsen_stated 37 metres as the length for a regular fluyt, and 35 metres for a fluyt used for_Baltic Sea trade.^[source?]_Cornelis van Yk_in 1697 gave dimensions of 40 metres in length with a width of 5.5 metres.^[source?]

The rigging was similar to that of other three-masted ships: a_foremast_and a mainmast, each with a maximum of three_square sails, and a_mizzenmast_with a_lateen sail_and sometimes a_cross-jack. At the_bowsprit, one or two spritsails_were also carried.

Specifications: