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boot-topping

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical The process of cleaning the upper part of a ship's underwater hull and daubing it with a protecting layer of antifouling substance.
  • noun nautical Any substance used for boot-topping, especially a mixture of tallow, sulphur or lime and rosin, which was commonly used to paint the bottoms of wooden ships, as a deterrent against weeds and barnacles, and to reduce friction.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • A paint punt is a small, flat, square-ended raft with raised sides, used for floating around a ship's water line to renew the boot-topping paint.

    Gold Out of Celebes Aylward Edward Dingle

  • Admiral Wharton assumes that as Cook expresses himself averse from having exploring ships sheathed in copper, owing to the difficulty of making repairs in case of accident far from proper facilities, and from the frequent mention of “heeling and boot-topping” in the Journal of the Endeavour, it is most probable that she was sheathed in wood.

    The Life of Captain James Cook Kitson, Arthur 1907

  • Leever made a critical mistake in the middle of the pitch during his first run, boot-topping a gate, losing precious time.

    Vail Daily - Top Stories Chris Freud Vail 2010

  • One day, after I had been "boot-topping" the sloop with a composition of coal-tar and other stuff, and while I was taking my dinner, with the luxury of blackberry jam, I heard a commotion, and then a yell and a stampede, as the children ran away yelling: "The captain is eating coal-tar!

    Sailing Alone Around the World Joshua Slocum 1877

  • [Illustration: The _Spray_ ashore for "boot-topping" at the Keeling

    Sailing Alone Around the World Joshua Slocum 1877

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  • reesetee commented on the word boot-topping

    The process of cleaning the upper part of a ship's underwater hull and daubing it with a protective layer of anti-fouling material. Also, any substance used for boot-topping, especially a mixture of tallow, sulfur or lime, and rosin. This mixture was commonly used to paint the bottoms of wooden ships as a deterrent against weeds and barnacles and to reduce friction.

    August 21, 2009