9.2
Dunnage Mats, boughs, pieces of wood or other loose
materials placed under or among goods
carried as cargo in the hold of a ship to
keep them dry and to prevent their motion
and chafing; cushioning or padding used in
a shipping container to protect fragile
articles against shock and breakage; baggage
or personal effects.
Ebb An outgoing tide.
Estuary An inlet or arm of the sea.
Fathom Six feet.
Fenders Objects placed along the side of the boat to
protect the hull from damage.
Flare The outward spread of the boat’s sides from
the waterline to the rail at the bow. Also,
a pyrotechnic signaling device that can indi-
cate distress.
Fore Used to distinguish the forward part of a
boat or things forward of amidships. It is the
opposite of aft or after.
Forward Toward the bow.
Frame Ribs of the hull extending from the keel to
the highest continuous deck.
Freeboard The vertical distance measured on a boat’s
side from the waterline to the gunwale.
Galley The kitchen area of a boat.
Gimbals Swivels used to keep equipment level.
Give-Way The one which must stay clear of vessels
Vessel which have the right-of-way.
Grab Rail A convenient grip on a cabin top or along a
companion ladder.
Gunwale The upper edge of a boat’s side.
(Pronounced gunnel.)
Harbor A safe anchorage protected from most
storms; may be natural or man-made, with
breakwaters and jetties; a place for docking
and loading.
Hatch An opening in a boat’s deck for persons
or cargo to go below.
Head A marine toilet. Available with and without
pump-out option
Headway Forward motion of a vessel through the water.
Helm The wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.
Holding Tank Storage tank for sewage so that it will not be
pumped overboard into the water.
Cleat A piece of wood or metal with projecting
ends to which lines are made fast.
Clinker A method of planking in which the lower
edge of each strake overlaps the upper edge
of the strake next below. (Also called lapstrake.)
Coaming A raised edge, as around part or all of a
cockpit, that prevents seawater from entering
the boat.
Coast Guard The federal marine law enforcement and
rescue agency in the U.S.
Cockpit A well or sunken space in the afterdeck of a
small boat for the use of the helmsman and
crew.
Companionway A hatch or entrance from deck to cabin.
Compass The instrument which shows the heading of
a vessel.
Cowls Hooded openings used for ventilation.
Cradle A frame used to support a vessel on land.
Current The movement of the water in a horizontal
direction.
Deadrise The rise of the bottom of a midships frame
from the keel to the bilge.
Deck Any permanent covering over a compartment.
Deep-six To discard or throw overboard.
Depth Sounder An electronic depth-finding instrument
measuring the time a sound wave takes to
go from the vessel to the bottom and return,
then displaying the result in feet, fathoms or
meters.
Dinghy A small, open boat.
Displacement Type of hull that plows through the water
Hull even when more power is added.
Dock An enclosed or nearly enclosed water area;
all the port installations; a place where ves-
sels can moor, as a pier, wharf or floating
dock.
Documented Vessel registered with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Vessel
Dolphin A small group of piles in the water generally
used for mooring or as a channel marker.
Draft The depth of the vessel below the water line
measured vertically to the lowest part of the
hull.
