Bolt rope
Abolt rope[1](Variants: "bolt-rope" and "boltrope", French:ralingue,Spanish:relinga,[2]Old Norse: *rár-línk,comprisingrárgenitive ofrá"rope" andlínk"edge of a sail" ), is theropethat is sewn at the edges of thesailto reinforce them, or to fix the sail into a groove in theboomor in themast.[1]
Fore-and-aft sailsoften have bolt ropes on the leading edge (luff) where they attach to the mast and the bottom edge (foot) where they attach to the boom, which provide the terms, "luff bolt rope" and "foot bolt rope". They also occur on the edges of sails suspended from a spar, such as forgaff,squareandlateenrigs.[3]
Attachment and characteristics
Bolt ropes were described as early as 1847, when Robert Kipping addressed "bolt-rope" attachment for a variety of sails, using sewing techniques appropriate to each, in his book,The Elements of Sailmaking.He addressed the tradeoff between stiffness and flexibility to provide reinforcement without distorting the intended shape of the sail. He emphasized the need for the bolt rope not to affect the degree of slack on theleech(trailing edge) of a sail. He further emphasized that the rope must retain its original twist, as it is sewn in place, to avoid distorting the edge of the sail. He observed that, "Many a well-cut sail is spoiled by the roping."[1]
See also
References
- ^abcKipping, Robert (1847).The Elements of Sailmaking: Being a Complete Treatise on Cutting-out Sails, According to the Most Approved Methods in the Merchant Service...F.W. Norie & Wilson. pp. 58–72.
- ^Ricard Jaime Pérez (2006).La maniobra en els velers de creu.Edicions UPC, Barcelona. p. 199.ISBN9788483015902.
- ^zu Mondfeld, Wolfram (2005).Historic Ship Models.New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 258.ISBN1402721862.
Further reading
- Rousmaniere, John (June 1998).The Illustrated Dictionary of Boating Terms: 2000 Essential Terms for Sailors and Powerboaters(Paperback).W. W. Norton & Company.p. 174.ISBN0393339181.ISBN978-0393339185
- Smyth, W. H.;Belcher, E.(1867).The sailor's word-book: An alphabetical digest of nautical terms, including some more especially military and scientific... as well as archaisms of early voyagers, etc.London: Blackie and Son.
- A naval encyclopædia: comprising a dictionary of nautical words and phrases; biographical notices, and records of naval officers; special articles of naval art and science.Philadelphia: LR Hamersly & Co. 1881.RetrievedJanuary 23,2014.atInternet Archive