Two large shims placed between the frames and the hull planking on both sides of the lower bow indicate that the shipwrights did indeed have trouble fairing out the shape in this area. Since in reality the curves of the diagonals extend to the rabbet a little further than the theoretical design planes at XIIA and XVIIID, there had to be some practical adjusting of the curves at the ends of the vessel during construction. Such problems with deviations between the design method and actual construction were overcome as design methods were refined in the late 1680s and 1690s.

During construction, establishing the frame spacing allowed the shipwrights to carve the frame location labels on the port face of the keel (Figures 1, 8). The labels were definitely carved once the two component timbers of the keel were already joined because the label IIIA is carved across the seam of the scarf between the forefoot and the after part of the keel (Figures 8, 22). Label XIIA is actually on the completely separate stem timber, which is scarfed to the forward end of the forefoot part of the keel (Figure 22). If there had been a label for XVIIID, it would have been on part of the sternpost that hasn't survived.

The arrangement of the centerline timbers further highlights the central role of the floor diagonal length and the surmarked frame locations in the overall design. Toward the ends of the vessel where the hull becomes more V-shaped, additional longitudinal timbers, known as deadwoods, are added on top of the keel (Figure 22). They begin before and abaft two surmarked frames, VIA and VIIIID (Figure 8). The spacing between the surmarked frames is the same before and abaft the midship frame, thus the distances to frame positions XIIA and XVIIID are quite different. Nonetheless, in both cases the deadwood begins at half the distance from each of these frame positions (XIIA and XVIIID) to the midship frame (Figure 30). It is important to note that there are surmarked frames further forward and aft than frames VIA and VIIIID. In all other "marked" vessel remains there are no surmarked frames over the deadwoods, if such timbers are present.

Although frames VIA and VIIIID are not the last surmarked frames, they do have the same width between the port and starboard floor timber surmarks at the same proportional distance from the midship frame. Thus, they help "balance" the forward and after volumes of the hull (Duhamel 1758:174–175, 230–233). In fact, in French shipbuilding these frames are referred to as balancing frames, couples de balancement. As will be discussed below, these frames play an important role in determining the measurements for the longitudinal curves situated before the midship frame.

In addition to the deadwoods, the main mast is positioned relative to the length of the floor diagonal. The base of the main mast is located over the floor timber of frame IIID, exactly in the middle of the length of hull covered by the floor diagonal (Figure 30). NEXT