Trawler & isinglass

These words should not be in the vocabulary of experienced boaters. I think we do new people a disservice by using incorrect terminology.

Isinglass is an historic gelatin produce made from fish bladders. The stuff we use today is sheet vinyl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isinglass

The description Trawler has been widely discussed here and dismissed unless it refers to a boat that actually drags trawls

New people? Folks have been calling anything see-through in canvas panels 'isinglass' for DECADES (to say nothing of a half-dozen ways to misspell it). Because otherwise it degrades into a debate of one product versus another and then a whole OTHER argument about proper cleaning products and methods.

So, no, don't pull the pin on the terminology grenade.

Clear vinyl

Wifey B: I hate misuse of the English language, but...........

Isenglass is unnecessary and I don't like when a brand like Strataglass is used as generic. But clear vinyl is a great substitute or even just vinyl windows or anything like that so you have all those to use instead.

However, I've got no substitute for Trawler. I think it's a good word if we use it in the broader sense that has become common to represent all the slower cruising boats. We've used "trawler type" but I think the better term is "recreational trawler." I think "Cruising trawler" is ok, but I'm not a fan of "trawler yacht."

So I'm going to go to "recreational trawler" which makes all the uses of trawler on this site acceptable because no one is under the illusion this is a fishing trawler site, it's understood that it's recreational.

BandB said:

Wifey B: I hate misuse of the English language, but...........

So I'm going to go to "recreational trawler" which makes all the uses of trawler on this site acceptable because no one is under the illusion this is a fishing trawler site, it's understood that it's recreational.

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Just wondering... does a "Recreational Trawler" need to be "Full Displacement" to qualify?

Bacchus said:

Just wondering... does a "Recreational Trawler" need to be "Full Displacement" to qualify?

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Wifey B: No...it's anything someone wants to call a recreational trawler. Widest definition possible.

We're an all inclusive society.

BandB said:

Wifey B: No...it's anything someone wants to call a recreational trawler. Widest definition possible.

We're an all inclusive society.

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Wifey B: Even if I want to I can call my Riva, which runs 40 knots, a Recreational Trawler. I don't want to though. I'm not old enough to have a trawler.

Absolutely !!! I'd like to add the following:

"tablet", can only refer to something engraved in stone
"chip" must refer to a piece of deep fried potato
"microchip" is a very small chip ( see above )
"led" is the past participle of lead


Language evolves just as cultures and people do.

I am changing the category of my 27' Express Cruiser to Trailerable Recreational Swift Trawler!

Mine is a non-trailerable, non-trawler, non-full displacement, non-gofastbeloud, non-a whole bunch of other things and I have windows that some are made of glass, some tempered glass, some eisenglass, probably some isinglass, but no Strataglass.


But who cares?

Is it still winter?

GFC said:

Is it still winter?

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Wifey B: High today was only 80 degrees so I think maybe it is. Not real sure about this whole winter thing.

bayview said:

Isinglass is an historic gelatin produce made from fish bladders. The stuff we use today is sheet vinyl.

Click to expand...

Isinglass is a thin mica sheet used for windows in 16/1700's. Then it was commonly used in boilers, lanterns and wood stoves due to heat resistance. There was a company called Eisenglass that made sheets of transparent gelatin for early autos and carriages. Rogers and Hammerstein referenced Isinglass curtains in Oklahoma (Surrey with a fringe on top, 1943). Vinyl became readily available in 1900. So my theory is the words merged to become a generic name for roll up windows but is slowly dropping out of common usage.

I own a trawler, but it's not really a trawler, and my wife will always call the deck the floor. Throttles forward.