The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word RIGGER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
R
I
G
G
E
R
More clues leading to the result RIGGER
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "man working on vessel" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case man working on vessel = rigger.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RIGGER mean?
RIGGER noun- One who rigs or dresses; as:
- A part of a rowing boat's equipment used to provide leverage for a rowing blade or oar around a fixed fulcrum.
- A cylindrical pulley or drum in machinery.
- A plastic bottle of beer, typically between 1 L to 2.5 L volume.
- A long, slender, pointed sable paintbrush for making fine lines, etc.; said to be so called from its use for drawing the lines of the rigging of ships.
- Any of various projecting beams or spars that provide support for a sailing ship's mast.
- A long thin timber, pontoon, or other float attached parallel to a canoe or boat by projecting struts as a means of preventing tipping or capsizing.
- An outrigger canoe or boat.
- An iron bracket or brace for an oarlock projecting from the side of a rowing boat.
- An extension mechanism, often retractable when not in use, on a boat, vehicle, or structure which helps to stabilize it to keep it from tipping over.
- A type of ski pole, with skis attached at the bottom, instead of the spike/pick found on a normal pole. It is used in downhill skiing variants of para-skiing, especially those that use a sit-ski, such as the monoski.