The trailboards are a pair of boards that may be found at the bow of certain sailing vessels, where they run from the figurehead or

billethead A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the bow of ships, generally of a design related to the name or role of a ship. They were predominant between the 16th and 20th centuries, and modern ships' badges fulfill a similar role. Histo ...

back to or towards the

hawsepipe Hawsehole is a nautical term for a small hole in the hull of a ship through which '' hawsers'' may be passed. It is also known as a cat hole. In the (British) Royal Navy, a man who had risen from the lowest grade to officer was said to have "come ...

. They are in the main decorative, though they often bear the name of the ship; they vary in decoration styles.

References

* * Shipbuilding Sailboat components Sailing ship components Nautical terminology {{shipbuilding-stub