Jump to content

Truck (rigging)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ChrisGualtieri (talk | contribs) at 21:17, 20 October 2013 (General Fixes using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A truck is a nautical term for a wooden ball, disk, or bun-shaped cap at the top of a mast, with holes in it through which flag halyards are passed.[1] Trucks are also used on wooden flagpoles, to prevent them from splitting.

Without a masthead truck, water could easily seep into the circular growth rings of a wooden mast. However, the grain in the truck is perpendicular to that of the mast, allowing the water to run off it.

References

  1. ^ Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier" by Harold A. Underhill ISBN 0-85174-173-8