I watched all the videos on SOG. In one of the reviews, the reviewer showed that the firing arcs of the two ships compared were not the same. Which leads me to this question: How are a ship's firing arcs determined?

I would've thought that all sailing ships would have a similar arc -- after all, pretty much the same technology is in use for all ships of the time. You point a cannon out a hole in the side of the ship.

Were some ships known for having better arcs of fire than others? Or is some other factor in play?

And because I can: