Stay mouse

This article is about a part of a ship's rigging. For the alternate nautical term "to mouse", which refers to securing a threaded pin, for example with "mousing wire", see shackle.

The nautical term "stay mouse" refers to an antiquated part of a sailing vessel's standing rigging. On all sailing ships built before about the 19th century, the stays were of natural cords. These lines were looped around the top of each section of the wooden masts using a spliced loop or seized loop in their ends. During the 16th century some riggers began to attach stays by splicing or seizing only a small loop into the end of the stay then passing the rope's tail around the mast and back through the small loop, like a slip-knot. To prevent this from slipping tightly around the mast when in use, a strong bulge was built into the standing part of the rope that could not fit through the small loop. This bulge was called a mouse or stay mouse.

As first galvanised and then stainless steel standing rigging replaced natural fibres, and steel and aluminium replaced wood for masts, the need for these niceties died out. Knowledge of, and interest in, these technologies is kept alive by classic boat and historic ship enthusiasts, as well as by model makers the world over.

References

Historic Ship Models: Stays 69 Description and some history
Historic Ship Models: Stays 72 Detail drawings

Sails, spars and rigging

Rigs	Bermuda rig Cat rig Full rig Gaff rig Junk rig Ljungström rig Mast aft rig

Sail types	Asymmetrical spinnaker Junk sail Lug sail Parafoil Ringtail Spinnaker Turbosail Rotorsail Wingsail

Sails (sail plan)	Blooper Course Crab claw Driver Extra Fisherman Foresail Genoa Gennaker Jib Lateen Mainsail Moonraker Royal Skysail Screecher Spanker Spinnaker Spritsail Staysail Studding Topgallant Topsail Trysail Watersail

Sail anatomy and materials	Bolt rope Clew Foot Head Leech Luff Roach Tack Throat Peak Dacron Technora Kevlar Twaron

Spars	Boom Bowsprit Boomkin Dolphin striker a/k/a Martingale Pelican striker Fore-mast Gaff Jackstaff Jibboom Jigger-mast Jury rigging Main-mast Mast Mizzen-mast Truck Spinnaker pole Spreader Sprit Topmast Yard

Rigging components	Backstay Block Bobstay Boomkicker Braces Buntlines Chainplates Cleat Clevis pin Clewlines Cunningham Deadeye Downhaul Earing Fairlead Forestay Gasket Gooseneck Gunter Guy Halyard Kicker Lazy jack Outhaul Parrel beads Peak Preventer Ratlines Running rigging Shackle Spinnaker chute Standing rigging Sheet Shroud Stay mouse Stays Throat Topping lift Trapeze Traveller Turnbuckle Vang Windex

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