Oilskin is a type of
canvasCanvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other functions where sturdiness is required...
with a skin of
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures,...
, often
linseed oilLinseed oil, also known as "flax seed oil" is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction....
, applied to it as waterproofing.
Garments made of oilskin, or of other heavy waterproof material (but excluding gaberdine and similar) are also referred to as
oilskins. These days, oilskins (or
oilies) are made of modern synthetic and often quite advanced fabrics. (At sea, wet can come from sea spray as well as from rain.) Such garments include sailor's waterproofs, some other wet-weather clothes, and stockmen's coats, vests,
chapsChaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather...
and
gaitersGaiters are garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats. Gaiters used in equestrian riding are known as riding-gaiters....
for use on the
stations of AustraliaStation is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term 'ranch' or South American Estancia...
.
Oilskin is a type of
canvasCanvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other functions where sturdiness is required...
with a skin of
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures,...
, often
linseed oilLinseed oil, also known as "flax seed oil" is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction....
, applied to it as waterproofing.
Garments made of oilskin, or of other heavy waterproof material (but excluding gaberdine and similar) are also referred to as
oilskins. These days, oilskins (or
oilies) are made of modern synthetic and often quite advanced fabrics. (At sea, wet can come from sea spray as well as from rain.) Such garments include sailor's waterproofs, some other wet-weather clothes, and stockmen's coats, vests,
chapsChaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather...
and
gaitersGaiters are garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats. Gaiters used in equestrian riding are known as riding-gaiters....
for use on the
stations of AustraliaStation is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term 'ranch' or South American Estancia...
. Sometimes sailor-type oilskins are worn on land in very bad weather.
Design
Oilskin trousers are very high-cut for a large overlap with the jacket and prevent water entering through the join. Often in moderate weather, however, only the trousers are worn (as in the right of the photo) and their high cut then keeps wind and water off the lower part of the
torsoTorso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk. The torso includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
. It has shoulder straps to hold the trousers up. Straps around the bottom of the trouser legs let them be tightened around
seabootSeaboots are a type of waterproof boot designed for use on deck on board boats and ships in bad weather, to keep the legs dry, and to avoid slipping on the wet rolling deck....
s, providing a semi-watertight join. This does not let them be used like fishing
wadersWaders refers to a waterproof boot extending from the foot to the chest, traditionally made from vulcanised rubber, but available in more modern PVC, neoprene and Gore-Tex variants. Waders are generally distinguished from counterpart waterproof boots by shaft height; the hip boot extending to the...
, but a wave sweeping briefly across the deck will generally not penetrate. All but the cheapest oilskin trousers will be reinforced across the seat and the knees.
Oilskin jackets are similar in many ways to waterproofs used for walking. The most visible difference is that they usually have a much higher collar to keep out spray, and in many cases to warm the ears or the whole head. A fold-away hood will be provided, almost always in a high-visibility colour since the head will be the only part showing above the water if the sailor is lost overboard. It often has
retroreflectiveA retroreflector is a device or surface that reflects light back to its source with a minimum scattering of light. An electromagnetic wave front is reflected back along a vector that is parallel to but opposite in direction from the wave's source. The device or surface's angle of incidence is...
patches on the shoulders for the same reason. Its tails are very long to keep water off the legs.
The cuffs of better oilskin jackets include an inner seal, something like that on a scuba diver's drysuit, to stop water getting in if a wave is forced up the sleeve. This is less important in walking jackets since in walking on land the arms usually point down away from the rain; but this nuisance can happen in
motorcyclingMotorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean to the joys of motorcycling...
where the arms holding the
handlebarHandlebars usually refer to the steering mechanism for bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and personal watercraft; the equivalent of a steering wheel. Besides acting as a steering mechanism, handlebars also may support a portion of the rider's weight, depending on his or her riding position....
s point forwards into a wet headwind.
Pockets on trousers and jackets are often lined with a synthetic fleece material designed to be quick-drying and warm even when soaked. Most sailing consists of bursts of hard work between periods of relative inactivity; hunched up with hands in pockets is a common pose in bad weather during the inactive parts, and soft linings help keep the hands warm. A recent innovation is
removable soft linings, enabling them to be washed.
Some oilskin jackets include built-in harnesses; typically just a strap around the chest which a lifeline can be clipped to during very bad weather. This avoids the need to wear a separate harness, but may be less safe than a modern separate harness which includes a lifejacket. More expensive oilskin jackets may also act as a lifejacket. A few jackets contain equipment like lights, flares, and an emergency radio beacon.
Variants
Although a few all-in-one, boilersuit-shaped oilskin suits are available, most sailors prefer the flexibility of a separate
jacketA jacket is a type of sleeved hip- or waist-length garment for the upper body. For clothing older than the mid-nineteenth century, a distinction is often maintained with a coat, but in many instances the terms are now interchangeable. A jacket is generally shorter, ending just below the waist, and...
and
trousersFor the TrouSerS implementation of the TCG Software Stack, see Trusted Computing Group.Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
.
Other uses
SailclothSails have been made from cloth for all of recorded history. Typically sails were made from flax , hemp or cotton in various forms including canvas. However, modern sails are rarely made from natural fibers. Most sails are made from synthetic fibers ranging from low-cost nylon or polyester to...
waterproofed with a thin layer of
tarTar is modified resin produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. It is a viscous black liquid. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving and...
is referred to as oilskin.
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