Maths

I know, I know, after all those years of boring maths lessons when I complained that 'I would never use it in the real world', I found myself with a sore brain. Being a pretty creative being and able to visualise in 3D easily I discovered that that is not good enough when it comes to boat building. No, in boat building you have to sort of twist it all on it's head and have something that doesn't actually exist yet in your head in 3D. Then you have to translate that into 2D. That, my friends, is where the maths comes in.
Fortunately for me I had set about building a very simple boat and had my own personal shipwright to pester.
My boat, already named 'Bumble', was to be an 8ft long, very cute little sailing dinghy. Unique in it's design. All wood and a perfect size for a little fella like me to handle.
Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, the maths...It's called 'lofting'. You lay a large bit of paper or sheet of plywood down, and draw all the different angles and lines you are going to need to build your boat. Lines do not necessarily follow the curve you think they will, for example, a plank that in 3D curves nicely in a straight line around your boat, in 2D could actually be a wavy S shape. Like I said - maths - Pah!
So, there I was with a sore brain and although I couldn't do it again without help, I managed to loft my little boat.