1. Boating Vocabulary Aft – towards the back of the boat.
Aground – bottom of the vessel is sitting on solid ground.
Amidship – middle of the vessel.
Anchor – a metal casting used to hold the vessel in position.
Bearing – unit of measurement on a compass.
Bilge – lowest part of the ship’s hull.

2. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Capacity Plate - fixed by the manufacturer, it tells the maximum weight, horsepower, and number of people a vessel can carry.
Can Buoy – green in color, odd numbered, and they are on the port (left) side of the river when returning from sea.
Capsize – to turn over a vessel.
Carburetor Flame Backfire Arrestor – it prevents fires by protecting the carburetor.

3. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Cardinal Points – 4 main directions on a compass. North is 0 to 360 degrees, East is 90 degrees, South is 180 degrees, and West is 270 degrees.
Chart – roadmap for the water.
Come About – to turn around 180 degrees.
Compass – navigation instrument to tell direction.
Current – back and forth movement of water dictated by the moon/tide

4. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Displacement Hull – slow, big, and powerful. It pushes water out of the way(ex. cruise ship)
Draft – distance between the waterline and lowest point of the vessel.
Fore – front of the vessel.
Forward – front of the vessel.
Freeboard – the distance from the gunwale (side of the boat) to the waterline.

5. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Give-way Vessel – the boat that yields the right of way to the other vessel. By giving the right of way you must change course, direction, and speed.
Gunwale – side of the vessel.
Hypothermia – loss of core body heat generally due to the water. Body looses more heat than it can produce.
Keel – the permanent positioned fore-and-aft backbone member of a boat’s hull.

6. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Leeward – side away from the wind
Lubber’s Line – the mark or indicator on a compass by which direction is read.
Mooring – permanent anchor for a vessel.
Motor Boat - any vessel under 65 ft. in length that is powered by a motor. (Any vessel on 65 ft. in length is considered a ship)
Nun Buoy – are red in color, even numbered, and they are on the starboard (right) side of the river when returning from sea (red, right, returning)

7. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
PFD – Personal Flotation Devices governed by the Coast Guard and they must fit the occupants on the vessel.
Planning Hull – smaller, faster, not very strong. They move on top of the water. (ex. personal watercraft, bass boat)
Port – left side of the vessel when facing forward.
Privileged Vessel – has right of way, maintains course and speed.

8. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Rules of the Road – basic navigation rules for safety.
Scope – the length of the anchor roade (rope) used to secure a vessel to the bottom. Coast Guard recommends six to one ratio in calm water. (ex. 10ft. Depth with 6 to 1 ratio = 60 ft. of roade)
Stand-on-Vessel –has right of way, maintains course and speed.
Starboard – right side of a vessel when facing forward.

9. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Stern – the back of the vessel.
Tide – up and down movement of the water.
Trim – to be balanced from left and right, font to back (port to starboard, bow to stern)
Vessel – anything used to move through the water
Wake – the wave put out by the movement of a vessel through the water. The Captain of the vessel is responsible for his wake.
Way – movement through water of any kind.

10. Boating Vocabulary – Cont’d
Federal Water – any water that has barges on them
Rip Current – channeled currents of water flowing away from the shore.