Nautical terminology - Name board

[Scott Carter]

Hello All -
Family feud here...does anyone know the proper (even if somewhat archaic and rarely used) term referring to the piece or pieces of (usually) wood onto which a vessel's name is inscribed or written, and then mounted to the vessel's transom or elsewhere?
Thanks for filling in our blank and keeping us out of family court.
Scott

[tom28571]

Trailboards, although there may be other names as well.

[Scott Carter]

Tx for the response Tom. Our consensus, though, was that the term did not contain the word "name" or "board". But trail board is a good start. Anyone else?
stc

[duluthboats]

The Shipcarvers Handbook by Jay S Hanna, refers to them as sternboards or transom nameboards.
Trailboards are at the stemhead the name is confusing but many boat terms are.

[El Sea]

Just came from tpub.com, they call it a Name Board.


El Sea

[DGreenwood]

On early fighting and merchant ships it was referred to as the "Arch Board" and sometimes, I think, just "Arch"? Is this what driving at?

[PAR]

Trailboards are on the bow, trailing aft. These often don't have a name so much as just some scroll work or fancy carving. Nameboards can appear in lots of places, capturing shrouds, tacked to the stern quarters and most commonly tacked to the transom.

These are much like our wives, having several names, all correct in some applications.

[Earl Boebert]

I reposted your question on the Yahoo scale model group, my go-to guys for nautical esoterica :-) and this is what I got:

Earl: This is a tough one. The only reference I can find in my 22
nautical dictionaries and encyclopedias is in C.W.Layton's Dictionary of
Nautical Words and terms: Name of Ship. That name appearing in her
certificate of registry. Is cut or punched in her bow and stern.
Mickey Martelle
Wellsville, N.Y.
Director, NRG [Nautical Research Group -- Earl]

Sternboard -- across the stern/transom

A ship's name is also sometimes worked into the trailboards at the
bow, generally beneath the bowsprit

SOURCE:
The Shipcarver's Handbook How to Design and Execute Traditional
Marine Carvings
Jay S. Hanna
Woodenboat Publications, 1988
ISBN 0-937822-14-0
Chapter 4 -- Sternboards pp. 25-31
Chapter 9 -- Trailboards pp.58-71 see lower photo on p. 60

Mike Graff

Earl asked the name of the piece of (usually) wood upon which a vessel's
name is inscribed. According to de Kerchove's Maritime Dictionary (c. 1961),
the following definition applies: "Name Board. A painted or carved board
where the ship's name is displayed. In sailing ships there was usually one
placed on each quarter abaft the mizzen chains. In mechanically propelled
vessels there is one on each side of the navigating bridge secured to the
deck margin plank. On tugs and other harbor craft it is displayed on top of
the wheelhouse." The dictionary signifies that the term is a U.S. one, but I
believe that is used also in other English-speaking nations. The dictionary
also provides the French and German translation. A cross-reference is given
to "Ship's Name". This entry says that the name of every registered
(merchant) vessel is marked upon each bow and upon the stern .. Roman
letters of a light color on a dark ground or vice versa, secured in place ..
According to U.S. and British rules . the height of the letters shall be not
less than 4 in. For pleasure vessels, the name must be placed on some
conspicuous portion of the hull.



Brian Taylor (Newport Beach, California)

Re: SSL: Nautical terminology - Name board

Earl,

>
term referring to the piece or pieces of
(usually) wood onto which a vessel's name is inscribed or written
>

Trail board.

Jack Silvia

[Scott Carter]

Great info all around guys. I appreciate the digging on y'all's parts. I'll still awake some nights sweating that I've just missed that "just right" elusive term, but I'm that way with girlfriends too.
Cheers,
Scott