View source for Scupper

{{Short description|Architectural draining feature}}
{{Redirect|Scuppers|the children's book|Scuppers The Sailor Dog}}
[[Image:Scuppers.jpg|thumb|right|Two scuppers cut into either side of this outdoor stairwell prevent water from building up and making the stairs slippery.]]
A '''scupper''' is an opening in the side walls of a vessel or an open-air structure, which allows water to drain instead of pooling within the [[bulwark (nautical)|bulwark]] or [[Gunwale|gunwales]] of a vessel, or within the curbing or walls of a building.
[[File:Bulwark (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Ship's bulwark. 1. Gunwale, 2. Bulwark plating, 3. Flange, 4. Stanchion, 5. Stringer plate, 6. Stringer angle, 7. Sheerstrake. '''Scupper:''' 8. hole (with grille cover), 9. pipe, 10. outlet.]]
There are two main kinds of scuppers:

# Ships have scuppers at deck level, to allow for ocean or rainwater drain-off.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smyth |first=William Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QeQ2q2ZNg68C&dq=ship+scupper&pg=PA625 |title=The Sailor's Word: A Complete Dictionary of Nautical Terms from the Napoleonic and Victorian Navies |date=2008 |publisher=Fireship Press |isbn=978-1-934757-41-3 |pages=625 |language=en}}</ref>
# Buildings with railed rooftops may have scuppers to let rainwater drain instead of pooling within the railing. Scuppers can also be placed in a [[parapet]], for the same purpose.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O9JBAQAAMAAJ&dq=scupper&pg=PA275|title=Sweet's Architectural Catalog File|last=|date=1918|publisher=Sweet's Division, McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company|pages=275|language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/79198699@N04/7256842596/ Schematics employed in hydraulic diagrams]

[[Category:Watercraft components]]


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