Common Everyday Used Boating Terms

By: K.Thomas

There are many terms used by boaters that are worth while in learning. This can be overwhelming for boaters just starting out.

So prepared for you is a basic list, that if you are a boater, you should learn. This can help you tremendously in understanding the lingo used by seaman and boaters.

Alot of these terms pertain to specific types of boats or ships. However,knowing their meaning is still a task you should not shirk. You can take an online boating course obout boating safety and find all of these terms.

1- Wake - When boats move accross the water, a wake is left trailing the boat that looks like a path of churning waves and disturbed water trailing behind the boat.

2- Floorboards - The deck on which crew and passengers walk and navigate aboard the boat. 3- Tide - The ocean levels rise and fall, from the moons gravitational pull. On earth, this causes ocean levels to rise, as when the tide comes in.. or when the water levels drop is referred to when the tide goes out.

3- Tide - The ocean levels rise and fall, from the moons gravitational pull. On earth, this causes ocean levels to rise, as when the tide comes in.. or when the water levels drop is referred to when the tide goes out.

4- Stem - The very most froward part of the boat (the front of the bow)

5- Abaft - If you are walking towards the rear of the boat, you are going abaft.

6- Intracoastal Waterways - Canals, rivers, bays tht run along side the coasts.

7- Nautical Mile - A statute mile has a length of 5280 feet where as a nautical mile is an eighth longer measuring in at 6076 feet.

8- Abeam - Not on the boat, but in relation to the keel, it would be at right angles.

9- Stem - At the fron of the boat is the bow. The most forward part of the bow is the stem.

10- Capsize - If your watercraft is flipped over for any reason, rather a rogue wave, or from being blown over from huricane gail force winds. It has capsized.

11- Starboard - If you are facing the bow of the boat (front) on your right side would be the starboard side.

12- Aboard - If you are anywhere on the boat, you are onboard the boat.

13- Flares - When a boat is in trouble, the use of emergency flares fired from a flare gun, is used as a distress signal; can usually show a boats location from miles at night.

14- Navigate - When you plot, chart and execute your boat trip, from one destination to another, you have nagigated a course.

15- Longitude - At the Greenwich Meridian in England going East or West for any distance is Longitude. Longitude is measured in degrees.

16- Ground Tackle - Seamans use this term for the Anchor and the equipment that goes with it.

17- Flood - Incoming water currents,usually from an unwanted opening, on a boat usually unless corrected, is a precurser to the boat sinking.

18- Flare - A flare is a burning projectile fired from a flare pistol serving as a distress signal or just to alert other boats of your close proximity. Another definition would be forward curve of a boat..the boats flare.

19- Inboard - Pretty much the interior of the boat. For example the compartment where the boats motor resides is inboard. Sometimes motors enclosed as such are called inboard motors.

20- Below - Often referred to the decks below the top deck or any lower deck of a ship or boat.

21- The bow - The front of the boat.

22- The Stem - The forward most forward part of the bow.