Dock Talk

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation about boats or reading something and someone says a term you have no idea what it means? Luckily, we are here to save you from those awkward moments. We’ve pulled together some quick boat lingo terms with the help from our friends over at Discover Boating.

Here are a few key words we think could help out on you becoming an expert boater.

Aerate
To force air and oxygen into livewells to keep fish or bait alive. Also, to force air under the running surface of a hull.

Amidships
Center section of a boat.

Baitwell
Compartment on a fishing boat for holding live bait, usually with a pump to circulate the water and an aerator to provide oxygen.

Bunks
Long carpeted sections of a boat trailer that support the boat's weight.

Chine
Portion of the hull where the bottom and sides intersect (can be rounded or angled).

Coring Material
Any of a variety of lightweight materials used between layers of fiberglass laminates to add strength.

Deadrise
Degrees of V-shape hull angle measured at the transom of planning powerboats.

Draft
Vertical distance a boat penetrates the water.

Flare
A pyrotechnic device used to indicate distress. Also, the outward curvature of the sides on the bow of a boat.

Freeboard
Vertical distance between the waterline and the top of the hull side.

Give Way
Yield to other traffic.

Gunwale
The upper edge of the side of a boat.

Headway
Forward motion of a boat in the water.

Hull
The structural body of the boat that rests in the water.

Inner Liner
Smooth-finished, molded fiberglass structure adjacent to the inside portion of the hull.

Jack Plate
A mounting device for an outboard motor that enables operators to vertically raise or lower the motor, thereby controlling propeller depth in the water.

Kill Switch
A switch with a lanyard that automatically shuts off an engine if disconnected.

Knot
Speed measured in nautical miles per hour.

Lamination Schedule
A list of the sequential layers of materials used in fiberglass construction.

LOA
Length overall; the distance between the most forward part of the boat and the most aft part.

MAYDAY
A radio distress call.

Midships
Location near the center of a boat.

Nautical Mile
A distance of 6,076.12 feet or 1,852 meters, which is about 15 percent longer than a statute mile. Equivalent to one minute of latitude on a navigation chart.

Outrigger
Poles designed to spread out fishing lines and keep them from tangling while trolling.

Overboard
Over the side of a boat and into the water.

Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
A safety vest or jacket capable of keeping an individual afloat.

Piling
A post driven into the ground below the waterline to support a pier, dock, etc.

Rode
Line, chain, cable or any combination of these used to connect the anchor to the boat.

Rubrail
Protective outer bumper that runs around the boat at the point where the top deck meets the hull.

Strakes
Small linear protrusions that run longitudinally on both sides of the keel to give a planing hull lift and lateral stability.

Stringers
Internal beams and braces that give a fiberglass hull structural support.

Through-hull
A fitting or object that goes all the way through a hull.

Transducer
An electronic sensing device mounted in a boat's bilge or at the bottom of the transom to provide data for a depth sounder.

Underway
A boat in motion.

Weigh
To raise anchor.

Windlass
Rotating drum device used for hauling line or chain to raise and lower an anchor.

Zinc Anodes
Small pieces of zinc that attach to metal boat and engine components to help protect them from corrosion due to electrolysis, an effect caused when dissimilar metals are placed in a saltwater solution.

Click here to see the Full List of terms in the Discover Boating website