What's the top paint stripe on some boats called?

[merrydolphin]

Tingum is correct. It is called a shear stripe. It accentuates the shear line of the vessel.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by merrydolphin

Tingum is correct. It is called a shear stripe. It accentuates the shear line of the vessel.

"sheer" line/stripe..... a very Googleable term.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by KayZee

According to Patrick O' Brian, the "devil" is the seam of the lowermost plank that butts into the rabbet in the keel. It's next to impossible to get at from inside the boat and a leak there is serious indeed hence the saying, "The devil (seam) to pay (fill) and no pitch (tar) hot." meaning to be in serious trouble with no obvious remedy. It has been bastardized by landlubbers into "Hell to pay" which makes no sense except to people that don't know what it means to pay a seam with tar and fiber. This use of devil still fits with "Between the devil and the deep blue sea."

..................
pedantically yours,


Kurt

To be somewhat more pedantic, some disagree with Patrick O'Brian's understanding of the "devil".
Here are a couple of other meanings.
https://en.mimi.hu/boating/devil_seam.html

[Strayed Arrow]

Racing stripe.😎

[anacapaisland42]

It visually shrinks the "big belly" of the boat
Bill

Originally Posted by zengirl

What is the purpose of this stripe?

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Tingum

It is a shear stripe, the lower one by the waterline is the boot stripe, or boot top.

Sheer stripe.

[boatman61]

Go Faster Stripe..

[sailorladd]

Boot stripe...

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

It visually shrinks the "big belly" of the boat
Bill

Maybe it should then be called a "belt stripe" used to hold up the hulls paint?

Sheer stripe!
Boatyarddog

[Orion Jim]

Cove stripe (or sheer stripe) at the sheer, boot top at the waterline. A cove stripe MAY not increase your speed but it does make your boat more eye catching.