11-2 CHAPTER 11: GLOSSARY
Sport Boat Owner’s Manual
GIVE-WAY BOAT
– (1) Term for the boat that must take whatever action necessary to keep well clear
of the boat with the right-of-way in meeting or crossing situations. (2) The burdened boat.
GUNWALE
– The rail or upper edge of a boat’s side.
HEAD
– A marine toilet.
HELM
– The steering wheel or command area.
HULL
– The body of the boat.
HYPOTHERMIA
– A physical condition where the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
IN-LINE FUSE
– A type of protective fuse located in the power wire of a direct current (DC) circuit usu-
ally near the battery.
KEEL
– The lowest portion of the boat; extends fore and aft along the boat’s bottom.
LIST
– Leaning or tilt of a boat toward the side.
MAKING WAY
– Making progress through the water.
MARINECHART –
Seagoing maps showing depths, buoys, navigation aids, etc.
MOORING
– An anchor, chain, or similar device that holds a boat in one location.
NAVIGATION AID
– Recognizable objects on land or sea such as buoys, towers or lights which are
used to fix position to identify safe and unsafe waters.
NO-WAKE SPEED –
The speed at which a boat travels to produce an imperceptible wake.
PFD
– Personal flotation device.
PITOT TUBE
– See SPEEDOMETER PICKUP TUBE.
PLANING HULL
– A hull designed to lift, thereby reducing friction and increasing efficiency.
PORPOISE
– A condition in which the bow bounces up and down caused by trimming the engine too
far out.
PORT
– (1) The left side of a boat when facing the bow. (2) A destination or harbor.
PRIVILEGED BOAT
– Term used for the boat with the right-of-way.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
– Term for the boat that has priority in meeting or crossing situations. The stand on or
privileged boat.
RULES OF THE ROAD
– Regulations for preventing collisions on the water.
SPEEDOMETER PICKUP TUBE
– Also called pitot tube. The plastic device that extends below the
bottom of the boat. It connects to the speedometer with plastic flexible tubing.
SPLASHWELL
– The section of an outboard-equipped boat that is just forward of the transom.
STAND ON BOAT –
Term for the boat that must maintain course and speed in meeting or crossing
situations. The privileged boat.
STARBOARD
– The right side of the boat when looking towards the bow.
STERN
– The back of the boat.
STOW
– To pack the cargo.
SURGE BRAKES
– A type of trailer braking system designed to automatically actuate when the tow
vehicle’s brakes are applied.
TRANSDUCER
– The unit that sends/receives signals for the depth sounder.
TRANSOM
– The transverse beam across the stern.
TRIM
– Fore to aft and side to side balance of the boat when loaded.
UNDERWAY
– Boat in motion; i.e., not moored or anchored.
USCG
– United States Coast Guard
WAKE
– The waves that a boat leaves behind when moving through the water.
WATERWAY –
A navigable body of water.
V-PAD
– A modified vee hull design with a small, flat area in the keel aft.
VISUAL DISTRESS SIGNAL
– A device used to signal the need for assistance such as flags, lights
and flares.