Rigging a Bosun’s chair. A bosun’s chair consists of a piece of wood about 50 cms long, 13 cms wide and 2.5 cms thick. Two holes are drilled at each end through which two strops are rove and spliced underneath. A thimble is then seized into the bights of both strops and a gantline is either shackled into the thimble or secured with a double sheet bend. It is used when a man is needed to work aloft. A seaman can lower himself and secure the chair in a new position using the lowering hitch. The running part is held firmly against the standing part in one hand, or secured to it by a temporary seizing. The bight of the running part is passed through the bridge of the chair, over the man’s head and then passed behind him and under his feet as shown in the following sketch.

Rigging stage. A rigging or plank stage, suspended at each end by rope lanyards, are used to support men when working over the ship’s side, or on the superstructure and funnels. The lanyards are secured to a small crosspiece of wood, called a horn, at each end of the stage. These project from the stage and so keep it at a convenient distance from the side to be worked. The lanyards are attached to the plank by means of stage hitch. It is formed by laying the bight of the rope over the stage outside the horns, then crossing the two parts underneath and laying them over the stage outside the horns. The bight is then pulled over the end of the stage as shown in the following figure. After pulling the two parts taut, use a bowline to make fast the end of the rope to the standing part.