Alabama Boating Terms

Terms you need to Terms you need to know on the water!know on the water!

Aground Touching Touching bottom. bottom.

Amidship Describing the Describing the mid-section of mid-section of a vessel.a vessel.

Beam The width or The width or

middle of the middle of the vessel.vessel.

Bow The front part of the The front part of the boat.boat.

Capacity Plate Description giving Description giving maximum weight maximum weight capacity and capacity and horsepower rating.horsepower rating.

Can BuoyA green, can shaped A green, can shaped buoy with odd buoy with odd numbers. numbers.

CapsizeTo turn over.To turn over.

Cardinal Points The four main The four main

points of a points of a compass; north, compass; north, south, east and south, east and west.west.

Chart A map of a A map of a

body of water body of water that contains that contains piloting piloting information.information.

Current The movement The movement

of water in a of water in a horizontal horizontal direction.direction.

Displacement Hull

The type of hull that The type of hull that plows through the plows through the water. Usually water. Usually

large slow large slow moving vessels.moving vessels.

Draft The depth of the The depth of the

vessel below the vessel below the water line, water line, measured vertically measured vertically to the lowest part to the lowest part of the hull.of the hull.

Float Plan Information left Information left

with someone with someone concerning concerning your boating your boating intentions.intentions.

Freeboard The vertical distance The vertical distance

measured on a measured on a boat’s side from the boat’s side from the waterline to the waterline to the gunwale.gunwale.

Give-Way Vessel Required to take Required to take

early and obvious early and obvious action to avoid a action to avoid a collision when collision when nearing another nearing another vessel.vessel.

Gunwale The upper edge of a boat’s The upper edge of a boat’s side.side.

Hypothermia A physical A physical

condition where condition where the body loses the body loses heat faster than heat faster than it can produce it.it can produce it.

Keel The permanently The permanently

positioned, fore-positioned, fore-and-aft backbone and-aft backbone member of a member of a boat’s hull.boat’s hull.

Keel

Nun Buoy A conical, red buoy bearing A conical, red buoy bearing

an even number and an even number and marking the starboard side marking the starboard side of a channel from seaward.of a channel from seaward.

Remember – Remember – “red, right, “red, right, returning”.returning”.

PFDPersonalPersonal

flotation deviceflotation device

(life-jacket).(life-jacket).

Planing Hull Type of hull Type of hull

that is shaped that is shaped to lift out of to lift out of the water at the water at high speeds high speeds and ride on the and ride on the surface.surface.

PortThe left sideThe left side

of the boat of the boat

when facing when facing

the bow.the bow.

Rip Current A strong, narrow A strong, narrow

surface current that surface current that flows rapidly away flows rapidly away from the shore, from the shore, returning the water returning the water carried landward by carried landward by waves. Also called waves. Also called rip rip tidetide. .

Stand-On-Vessel The vessel The vessel

required to required to hold course hold course and speed and speed when nearing when nearing another vessel.another vessel.

Stand-On-Vessel

Starboard The right The right

side of the side of the boat when boat when facing the facing the bow.bow.

Stern

The aft or The aft or back of back of the boat.the boat.

Tide The alternate rise The alternate rise

and fall of and fall of waters caused by waters caused by the gravitational the gravitational attraction of the attraction of the sun and moon.sun and moon.

Trim To arrange weights in a To arrange weights in a vessel in such a manner vessel in such a manner as to obtain desired as to obtain desired draft at bow and sterndraft at bow and stern

Vessel

Every kind of Every kind of watercraft.watercraft.

Wake Moving waves Moving waves

created by a created by a vessel’s motion. vessel’s motion. Operator is Operator is responsible for responsible for any damage any damage caused.caused.

THE THE END!END!