Talk:Gunwale

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The entry for "gunwale" does exist on Wikipedia, but does not contain a discussion of the terms 'inwale' and 'outwale' that are used by boat builders, restorers, etc. I am not a technical expert, but I have pasted in a reply that I received from an inquiry to the Thistle Class listserver.

"On a boat like the Thistle, (without a deck) the hull usually has some reinforcing around the top of the hull. On the inside of the hull it is the inwale (inner wale) and the outside of the hull it is the outwale (outer wale). Together these are referred to as the rails."

• Terms 'inwale' and 'outwale' may either be US specific terminology and not in general usage OR very old terms and no longer referred to or used. A similarly example is 'Larboard' which has long since disappeared from usage and replaced by the term 'port'. I have been involved with nautical stuff for a long while and not heard of 'inwale' or 'outwale'. Interesting to see if other contributors can shed more light on the subject. Boatman 18:12, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
  • This matter of Non-UK usage is why I did not respond earlier. I think that what the questioner had in mind is the gunwale inboard of the sheer strake and the rubbing strake outboard of it. However, with modern forms of construction so many variants are available. My experience of boat-building ended forty or more years ago and I do not know the Thistle class. (RJP 22:43, 18 November 2005 (UTC))