![Chainplate on a Bavaria 35 Match](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Chainplate_on_a_Bavaria_35_Match_..jpg)
A chainplate is a metal plate used to fasten a
shroud
Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to '' burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous S ...
or
stay
Stay may refer to:
Places
* Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US
Law
* Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment
* Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...
to the
hull of a
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
. One end of the chainplate is normally fastened to a
turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eye bolts, one screwed into each end of a small metal f ...
which is connected to the shroud or stay, whereas the remainder of the chainplate normally has multiple holes that are bolted to the hull.
Rig-Rite Inc's description of chainplates
This distributes the load across the hull, making it possible for a somewhat lighter hull to support the load of the shrouds and stays.
References
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Sailing rigs and rigging
Nautical terminology