Painter (rope)
Encyclopedia
A painter is a rope
that is attached to the bow
of a boat and used for tying up or for towing.
Ideally, the length of the painter should be no longer than the length of the boat, especially on small craft, to prevent fouling the propeller of an outboard engine.
Example usage from Alexander McCall Smith
's Love Over Scotland, published in 2006 by Polygon in Edinburgh:
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
that is attached to the bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
of a boat and used for tying up or for towing.
Ideally, the length of the painter should be no longer than the length of the boat, especially on small craft, to prevent fouling the propeller of an outboard engine.
Example usage from Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...
's Love Over Scotland, published in 2006 by Polygon in Edinburgh:
Henry held Domenica's hand as she stepped gingerly into the boat. Then he himself boarded, whipped the small outboard engine into life, and untied the boat's painter. In the heavy, mist-laden air, the engine was almost inaudible, like the purring of a cat.