A gripe is a simple form of
clamp used in building a
clinker boat, for temporarily holding the
strake
On a vessel's Hull (watercraft), hull, a strake is a longitudinal course of Plank (wood), planking or Plate (metal), plating which runs from the boat's stem (ship), stempost (at the Bow (ship), bows) to the stern, sternpost or transom (nautica ...
which is being fitted onto the one to which it is to be attached. The strake is relatively thin and wide, so the tool must have a long reach and requires only a small movement. This is achieved by taking two pieces of dense
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
, typically oak, each of a length a little more than twice the widest width of the strake. A
coach bolt is fitted through the middle and adjusted so that the gripe will fit onto the land (the joint between the adjacent strakes) while admitting the point of a wedge between the free ends of the two parts of the gripe. The wedge is then tapped in so that the gripe grips the land, using the bolt as a fulcrum.
Some definitions describe the gripe as being another name for the
forefoot
The forefoot is the anterior aspect of the foot, composed of the five metatarsal bones, the fourteen phalanges and associated soft tissue structures. It is a common site of pathology in podiatry, and is the anatomic region involved in such conditi ...
of a boat.
The name is pronounced with the "
i" as a
long diphthong and is a form of the word ''
grip''.
The word "gripe" has also been used to describe a
pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
used to handle
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gripe (Tool)
Woodworking hand tools
Shipbuilding