checkstay

C3H4E1C3K5S1T1A1Y4
/ˈtʃɛkˌsteɪ/

noun

A stay, typically adjustable, attached to the mast below the primary backstay, used to control mast bend and stabilize the midsection of the mast, preventing unwanted movement or “pumping”.

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Meanings

nouncheckstay (plural checkstays)

plural checkstays

  1. nauticalA stay, typically adjustable, attached to the mast below the primary backstay, used to control mast bend and stabilize the midsection of the mast, preventing unwanted movement or “pumping”.

    Locura's Harken small boat checkstay tackles are powerful and easy to adjust.

    1983 September, Yachting, volume 154, number 3, ZIFF-DAVIS publishing Company, page 13
    2 more examples

    If you are retrofitting running backstays or additional checkstays we would encourage you to think “lash tang” - which creates a simple, lightweight, reliable mast attachment.

    2020 November 12, Phil Anniss, “Straight Talking - Mast and Standing Rigging Terminology”, in Yachts and Yachting

    This tall rig is a triple-spreader mast, tapered above the upper spreaders, with all rod rigging, plus running backstays (runners), checkstays, and an adjustable babystay for mast bend control.[

    2024 June 2, Wikipedia contributors, “C&C 37/40”, in English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation

Origin

From check + stay.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

checkstay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkstay

MLA

“checkstay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkstay. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “checkstay,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkstay.

Source: checkstay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.