What are these tracks used for?
- Thread starter CaptnEdarli
- Start date
-
- Tags
- inner tracks
I get the impression that "sheave" (sheeve?) is the proper nautical term for that round, turny, thingimajigger.
-Will
Ja, ja, supongo que te refieres a que en español barco... el barco... es masculino. Nunca lo había pensado, hasta ahora... hmm.Then Spanish must really annoy you.
Hey, thanks....... that's a good point. Guess I need to be a little more open minded about stuff. But not, pulley speak. nope. no way.
gotta stick to my guns on that one.
That's the sheave. I think using the term block for a sailboat pulley came down from the days of the wooden, block-like case that contained the sheave. But I will tell you it's one of the first things I learned. All you have to do is peruse ANY Sailboat rigging catalogue and try to find a pulley, All kind of blocks for all purposes will be listed... how many can you name?. Here's a page from garhaurer's catalogue under the chapter heading "BLOCKS" not a pulley in the bunch. Don't get me wrong, you will find pulleys on boats.... the motor be the most obvious. But any mechanical thing like a watermaker or an a.c. pump, perhaps even on a wind vane, there could be pulleys. But never in the rigging,
Fun discussion!
It's my impression, based on no research whatsoever, that there are more terms used exclusively for sailboats and the process of sailing them than any other sport. These came to us from the mariners' lingo of yore, and remain in use, mainly it seems, to evoke the romance of the great sailing boats from that period in history and identify oneself as a sailor as opposed to a mere mortal.
Examples of terms sailors employ instead of their more broadly used and understood synonyms:
Port - rather than "left"
Starboard - rather than "right"
Athwartship - rather than "crosswise"
Fore and aft - rather than front and back
Halyard - Okay, flagpoles have halyards too, but I would venture that the mere mortal would not be familiar with the term.
Sheet rather than "control rope". It makes more sense that a sail would be called a sheet, but not on a sailboat.
Lazarette - rather than "rear compartment"
Tack - rather than "turn" or "course"
Galley - rather than "kitchen" or "kitchenette"
Shrouds and stays - rather than "guy wires"
...and plenty others.
As for the legitimacy of using the word "pulley" when discussing rope handling devices on a sailboat, I think these two definitions are useful:
-A pulley is a wheel on an axle designed to support movement and change of direction of a cable, rope, or belt along its circumference.
-A block is a casing or framework that houses one or more pulleys.
There are a lot of boats that have pulleys at the top of the mast which could arguably(?) be considered part of the rigging, and it would be incorrect to refer to them as blocks.
It's my impression, based on no research whatsoever, that there are more terms used exclusively for sailboats and the process of sailing them than any other sport. These came to us from the mariners' lingo of yore, and remain in use, mainly it seems, to evoke the romance of the great sailing boats from that period in history and identify oneself as a sailor as opposed to a mere mortal.
Examples of terms sailors employ instead of their more broadly used and understood synonyms:
Port - rather than "left"
Starboard - rather than "right"
Athwartship - rather than "crosswise"
Fore and aft - rather than front and back
Halyard - Okay, flagpoles have halyards too, but I would venture that the mere mortal would not be familiar with the term.
Sheet rather than "control rope". It makes more sense that a sail would be called a sheet, but not on a sailboat.
Lazarette - rather than "rear compartment"
Tack - rather than "turn" or "course"
Galley - rather than "kitchen" or "kitchenette"
Shrouds and stays - rather than "guy wires"
...and plenty others.
As for the legitimacy of using the word "pulley" when discussing rope handling devices on a sailboat, I think these two definitions are useful:
-A pulley is a wheel on an axle designed to support movement and change of direction of a cable, rope, or belt along its circumference.
-A block is a casing or framework that houses one or more pulleys.
There are a lot of boats that have pulleys at the top of the mast which could arguably(?) be considered part of the rigging, and it would be incorrect to refer to them as blocks.
According to Wikipedia:
A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A sheave or pulley wheel is a pulley using an axle supported by a frame or shell (block) to guide a cable or exert force.
A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A sheave or pulley wheel is a pulley using an axle supported by a frame or shell (block) to guide a cable or exert force.
So, by this definition the wheel at the top of the mast that redirects the force of the halyard is a sheave or pulley wheel and the housing at the top acts as a block, correct?
Yes, a sheave in its housing on a boat meets the definition of a pulley, in the same way that a group of fibers twisted together on a boat meets the definition of a rope. Still, on a boat they’re called blocks and lines. It’s just terminology that’s been agreed upon through convention.
A line is a piece of rope with a designated purpose. Rope is stored in the rope locker until it is destined to some purpose.
The round thingy on the front of you water pump or alternator that the belt goes on is a pulley. The round thingy inside the block is a pully wheel.
I think I remember the thingy holding a pully wheel like at the top of a mast is called a truck.
The round thingy on the front of you water pump or alternator that the belt goes on is a pulley. The round thingy inside the block is a pully wheel.
I think I remember the thingy holding a pully wheel like at the top of a mast is called a truck.
... and the thing sitting behind the wheel of the truck is a teamster.
The term block comes from the original device used to tighten the shrouds of a sailing ship of yore.
They were actual blocks of wood with grooves carved along the blocks longitude at right angles to each other and probably greased with fat.
Later, they modified the blocks with holes to allow for greater leverage reduction and to better capture the lanyard being pulled on.
The sheave or pulley wheel is a much newer addition.
So the block cheeks are not why it is called a block. It quite literally began as a simple block of wood.
-Will
They were actual blocks of wood with grooves carved along the blocks longitude at right angles to each other and probably greased with fat.
Later, they modified the blocks with holes to allow for greater leverage reduction and to better capture the lanyard being pulled on.
The sheave or pulley wheel is a much newer addition.
So the block cheeks are not why it is called a block. It quite literally began as a simple block of wood.
-Will
OMG........... Will actually researched the subject before responding. That's refreshing. Sheave or not, if the device is used in the management of sailboat lines, it's a block. This whole point about trying to justify using the word pulley when discussing sailboat rigging is moot. They are called blocks....when you go to the sailing store to buy some equipment to build a jib downhaul, or upgrade your jib lead system, or rig up a spinnaker halyard system, or etc... You don't ask for a pulley.... you ask for a block, usually a particular kind of block because there are so, so many kinds. Okay, now that that's settled, consider yourselves saltier than you were a few days ago.... heh, heh...and can now represent SBO proudly, knowing the teenage race head clerk at the sailing supply store isn't going to roll his eyes when you walk in to buy some rope pulley things for your new to you boat.
At our local WM, you're as likely to get a blank stare from the teenage help if you use terms like "block" or "sheave".Okay, now that that's settled, consider yourselves saltier than you were a few days ago.... heh, heh...and can now represent SBO proudly, knowing the teenage race head clerk at the sailing supply store isn't going to roll his eyes when you walk in to buy some rope pulley things for your new to you boat.
The teamster turns the wheel sticking out of the dashboard, which was the board in front of the driver's seat being pulled by a team of horses. To protect the teamster from the dash, the road crud thrown up by the horses' hooves, a dashboard was positioned to deflect the dash from getting the driver dirty.... and the thing sitting behind the wheel of the truck is a teamster.
I find connections through etymology fascinating.
For example, 'post'
In a medieval town square, a post was erected upon which the latest news or royal decree was "posted" for all to read.
Which led us to the words, posted, poster, Saturday Evening Post, and indirectly, US Postage Service. The term 'post' as mail comes from the poney express and the railroad, when bags of mail were hung on posts to be hooked by the rider or train Conductor or brakeman while moving past without stopping.
I don't know why 'posting' is the word for standing and sitting while riding a trotting horse.
Now, we can 'post' a response on an Internet forum (ancient Roman business/worship district {sort of a town square}), no actual post involved.
-Will
Between this and the other rather academic thread on the definition of anchor scope you’d think it was the dead of winter. I think we should all get out sailing.
We have two WM stores in our area. Both are nowadays staffed well with boat-knowledgeable folk. Over time this does vary some, tho; about a decade ago the larger store had a number of "sales droids" that knew nothin' from nothin'.....At our local WM, you're as likely to get a blank stare from the teenage help if you use terms like "block" or "sheave".
Even better, the mgr at the larger WM and the mgr at our only brick-n-morter marine electronics store/shop are both sailors.