Answers.Body: <p>I didn't intend to answer my own question, but after reading through the comments and doing some more digging, I think it is clear that this was intended to be a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawsehole" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hawsehole</a> (hole that the anchor rope passes through).</p>
  
  <p>The 12 x 12 boat bow in question is a chronological descendant of the <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/parts/2557c01" rel="nofollow noreferrer">16 x 12 boat bow</a>:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Cedik.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>That larger part was created with the launch of the Pirates theme in 1989 and was used in the two flagships of that time: <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6274-1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Caribbean Clipper (6274)</a> and <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6285-1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Black Seas Barracuda (6285)</a>. Carribean Clipper clearly uses that hole for the anchor rope:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fsdEp.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>The 12 x 12 bow didn't appear in a set until 1992, so my best guess is that this hole was included to match the earlier part, but set designers ended up not actually using it for that purpose.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-20T14:55:49.083Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-06-20T14:55:49.083Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: jncraton
Body: <p>I recently received Renegade Runner (6268), and I noticed that it has a somewhat awkward hole in the bow:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BD1u2.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>The main bow piece has a hole for some reason, but I'm not sure what it is for. Here's <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/parts/6051c01" rel="noreferrer">the part</a>:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/783RZ.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>As far as I could tell, this is a list of all sets which use this part:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6268-1" rel="noreferrer">6268</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6250-1" rel="noreferrer">6250</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6493-1" rel="noreferrer">6493</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6280-1" rel="noreferrer">6280</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6291-1" rel="noreferrer">6291</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6271-1" rel="noreferrer">6271</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>In each of these sets, the hole in the front is simply left open. Is there some reason for this?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-06-20T04:06:36.093Z
Comments.Text: I would have thought it was simply supposed to mimic the anchor hole, but since 6280 has an anchor and it's not even attached through there, it's not a really good explanation
Comments.UserDisplayName: Joubarc
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-06-20T06:20:32.293Z
Comments.Text: Looks like an anchor hole to me too. Now I really want a copy of 6493.
Comments.UserDisplayName: gev
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-06-20T09:11:22.390Z
Comments.Text: Well, it looks too small for canon. Perhaps the piece designer intended it as an anchor hole, but the set designers didn't use it that way? Perhaps it was modelled on a real ship's bow?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Kramii
Tags: <piece-information>
Title: What is the purpose of the hole in the 12 x 12 boat bow (6051)?
UserDisplayName: jncraton
ThreadText: # What is the purpose of the hole in the 12 x 12 boat bow (6051)?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2013-06-19)
  
  I recently received Renegade Runner (6268), and I noticed that it has a somewhat awkward hole in the bow:
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/BD1u2.png)
  
  The main bow piece has a hole for some reason, but I'm not sure what it is for. Here's [the part](http://peeron.com/inv/parts/6051c01):
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/783RZ.png)
  
  As far as I could tell, this is a list of all sets which use this part:
  
  * [6268](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6268-1)
  * [6250](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6250-1)
  * [6493](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6493-1)
  * [6280](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6280-1)
  * [6291](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6291-1)
  * [6271](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6271-1)
  
  In each of these sets, the hole in the front is simply left open. Is there some reason for this?
  
  **Tags:** piece-information
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I would have thought it was simply supposed to mimic the anchor hole, but since 6280 has an anchor and it's not even attached through there, it's not a really good explanation  
  > **username_2**: Looks like an anchor hole to me too. Now I really want a copy of 6493.  
  > **username_3**: Well, it looks too small for canon. Perhaps the piece designer intended it as an anchor hole, but the set designers didn't use it that way? Perhaps it was modelled on a real ship's bow?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2013-06-20. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  I didn't intend to answer my own question, but after reading through the comments and doing some more digging, I think it is clear that this was intended to be a [hawsehole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawsehole) (hole that the anchor rope passes through).
  
  The 12 x 12 boat bow in question is a chronological descendant of the [16 x 12 boat bow](http://peeron.com/inv/parts/2557c01):
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Cedik.png)
  
  That larger part was created with the launch of the Pirates theme in 1989 and was used in the two flagships of that time: [Caribbean Clipper (6274)](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6274-1) and [Black Seas Barracuda (6285)](http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6285-1). Carribean Clipper clearly uses that hole for the anchor rope:
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/fsdEp.jpg)
  
  The 12 x 12 bow didn't appear in a set until 1992, so my best guess is that this hole was included to match the earlier part, but set designers ended up not actually using it for that purpose.
  
  
  ---
  
  