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Tuesday, January 5, 2021
One of the skillsets acquired while owning a boat is a new vocabulary unique to the boating experience. We’ve gathered some common terms that both amateur and seasoned captains will commonly come across.
Aft: Moving towards the back of the boat; “I’m going aft.”
Ahead: When the boat is moving forward; “We’re going ahead.”
Astern: When the boat is moving backward; “We will be moving astern when we leave.”
Bow: The front of the boat; “We’re eating at the bow.”
Cleats: Objects onboard or onshore that rope can be tied around and secured; “Tie the boat to the dockside cleats when we arrive.”
Cockpit: The open deck area at the stern of the boat; “They’re fishing from the cockpit.”
Command Bridge: A platform with a helm station located on top of vessel; “She’s up on the command bridge.”
Deck: Surfaces on the boat designed for walking; “The deck stretches through the cockpit to the bow.”
Fenders: Shock-absorbing equipment used to cushion the boat when secured to a dock; “Good thing we had the fenders when we bumped the dock a little too hard!”
Forward: Moving towards the front of the boat, “I’m going forward.”
Gunwale: The top edge of the hull of the boat; “He stood up from the gunwale when the boat started moving.”
Head: The boat’s toilet; “The head is occupied at the moment.”
Helm: The wheel that controls which way the boat steers; “She took the helm to guide us.”
Hull: The main body of the boat; “We washed the saltwater off the hull when we returned home.”
Galley: The boat’s kitchen; where food amenities are located; “Food’s ready in the galley!”
Midberth or Quarterberth: Smaller sleeping compartment, sometimes located under the dinette; “He’s napping underneath us in the midberth.”
Port: The left side of the boat, when looking towards the bow; “Keep an eye on the depth on the port side.”
Sedan: Type of boat that does not have a command bridge; “We looked at a sedan model next.”
Starboard: The right side of the boat, when looking towards the bow; “There’s a pod of porpoises starboard!”
Stern: The back of the boat; “They’re in the water near the stern.”
Swimstep: A specialized feature of each Cutwater model.A platform located at the stern of the boat, closer to the water, to help getting on and off the boat from the dock or into the water; “She easily climbed onto the swimstep.”
Thruster: Propulsion device built into the bow or attached to the stern of the ship to help maneuver in tight spaces; “The thrusters helped us align with the dock.”
Transom: The vertical wall at the stern of the ship, used to help reinforce the hull; “The cooler lid rested against the transom.”
Underway: Signifies the boat is in motion; “We’re underway!”
Windlass: Winch used to raise anchor or mooring line; “The chain wrapped around the windlass as the anchor raised.”
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