bordages

Bordage refers to the planking of a wooden ship's hull, i.e., the layer of wooden boards laid over the ship’s frames to form the hull's outer skin. The bordage consists of individual boards or strakes arranged in courses, defining the hull’s shape, offering protection against water, and contributing to rigidity. In traditional shipbuilding, planks were fastened to the frames with nails or spikes and were caulked at the seams with oakum and pitch to make the hull watertight.

Historically, bordage was the principal external surface of wooden vessels from the Middle Ages through the early modern era. Maintenance included replacing damaged planks and re-caulking seams. In the 18th century, copper sheathing was sometimes applied over the bordage to resist shipworms and reduce biofouling, improving speed and durability.

Today the term survives mainly in historical texts and reconstructions; it is distinct from bardage, the architectural cladding of buildings, though both derive from a common root referring to edges or borders.