Carvel construction derives from the Portuguese word "caravela" or caravel, a ship type that was current in the 15th century.  It a boat and ship building system where the planks are flush: the edges meeting and giving the shell a smooth surface instead of overlapping as in the clinker system.  The planks are fastened to transverse frames, ribs, with nails or wooden pegs called trunnels (treenails).  The seam between two adjacent planks is caulked by driving home fiber strands made of cotton or hemp and then covering or paying the seams with putty or hot pitch.

Plank-on-frame construction is the most difficult process and a nightmare to inexperienced builders.  Builders have to bend individual planks  according to the curve of the hull and then nail them into the frame.  This is the way real ships are built and ship models should be done the same. 

At Model Ship Master we even employ double plank for most of our models.  This double plank feature gives the ships the strength to last for decades.  (Solid hull models will crack sooner of later.)  We  set standards in authenticity, craftsmanship and construction quality.