I first saw the thump mats a couple of weeks ago when viewing photo-media of a time period Bristol Channel Cutter that had been restored. They are certainly an interesting alternative to the rubber donuts, and I would assume more authentic to the time period. That’s a guess mind you, as I haven’t conducted any research as to the actual origin of the mats.
During my research for Zygote’s word list, the earliest usage of the term “thump mat” is Ashley in 1944. Doesn’t mean the term wasn’t used before, but I could not find an older example.
R H Dana, The Seaman’s Friend, from 1841 is a reliable reference for detail. Dana mentions mats used to prevent chafe. But not bangs and thumps. He wrote than an ordinary seaman should be able to plait a sennit and that a boy should learn how to make a sennit. Dana has instructions (and a diagram) for making a Turk’s Head (cylindrical one, not a flat mat), but doesn’t refer to a simpler mat. Curious. But perhaps all seamen and boys could make a flat knot mat without thinking about it.
We all lack curiosity about the mundane, what we all take for granted. That’s part of why I’ve lost count of the hours I’ve spent researching things like a joker valve (earliest reference I’ve found is in 1955. Plenty of speculation about the origin of the term, but I reckon the last person who knew - likely the person who formalised the term - died in 1982). Or a “Swedish” fid: I’ve tried four of my contacts in Sweden, but neither they nor I can find the full name of the 1953 inventor on record, an otherwise anonymous A. J. Svenson, lost in a heaving sea of Svenssons and Svensons. Same goes for what I now know is a ‘counter seat’, which previously I thought was a ‘trolley seat’ (and it seems they were both in some cities).
Thump mats are clearly aboard some classic boats, e.g. superyacht Shenandoah (hull dates from 1902, extensive refit in 2009) click here to see one of her thump mats: https://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/4115-2815
I like the spring stand-ups Davey sells. But I’m not moved to buy. Yet.
As well as thump mats, we tried gluing pads (only about 1" diameter, about 4 mm thick) of rubber on Z’s staysail turning blocks. Dulls the bang, turning it into a thump, about the same effect as a thump mat (but more discrete). Anything is better than the bang of a naked block hammering on the handrail!
Bil