People have been using boats to travel across water for 5,000 years—a tradition that created a rich and complicated vocabulary. Here are some essential nautical terms, boat terminology, and parts of a boat that can help to turn you into an expert seaman.
Adrift — Freely floating without power
Aft — Towards the stern (rear) of the boat.
Aground — When you’ve “run aground,” the boat is touching land or completely stuck
Ahead — Forward of the bow.
Ahoy — A humorous way to get the attention of other fishers
Aid to Navigation (ATON) — Devices not part of the boat that help with navigation, e.g. buoys, markers, lighthouses.
Alongside — By the side of a boat or pier
Anchorage — a good place for the boat to anchor, without it being shifted by the wind, sea, or land. Is also used to refer to a port or harbour, where the boat can remain stationary for long periods.
Anchor ball — a round floating ball attached to the anchor’s line, to signal that the boat is anchored.
Astern — Behind the stern (opposite of “ahead”).
Awash — When the boat is so low that water is washing across its surface.
Bailer — A receptacle for removing water from the boat
Bank — A large area of elevated seafloor.
Bar — A natural ridge or bank of sand, often found at the entrance of larger rivers, making navigation dangerous.
Batten down the hatches — To secure the hatches and other objects on deck, to prepare for bad weather
Bearing — Direction, either as shown on a compass, or relative to the heading of the boat.
Bilge — A compartment at the bottom of the boat’s hull that collects water, which must be pumped out.
Bow — The forward section of the boat’s hull.
Bulkhead — Partitions within the hull of a boat to create compartments.
Echo sounding — A way to measure the water’s depth using a sonar device.
Fenders — Cylindrical air or foam-filled bumpers that hang from the side of the boat, protecting it from damage.
Gangplank — A walkway used to board and exit a boat.
Heave — A boat’s up-and-down motion.
Hull — The boat’s body.
Keel — The central structural part of the hull.
Knot — A unit of speed, roughly 1.8km per hour.
Latitude — Distance north or south from the equator.
Longitude — Distance east or west of the Greenwich prime meridian line.
Man overboard! — What you shout when someone has fallen from the boat into the water, drunk or otherwise.
Nautical mile — A distance of 1.852 kilometres.
Obstruction — An object that the boat cannot pass without changing course drastically.
Personal Flotation Device (PFD) — A device that allows you to remain above water, such as a lifejacket.
Planing — Skimming over the water instead of pushing through it.
Port — The left-hand side of the boat when facing forwards (or towards the bow).
Port vs starboard — Port is the left hand side of the boat, and starboard the right.
Quayside — The dock or platform that a boat is fastened to.
Roll — A boat’s side by side motion.
Rudder — A plate used to steer the boat. Usually sits at the stern.
Screw — The boat’s propeller.
Scuppers — Openings in the walls of the boat, the toe rail, or the bulwarks that allow water to drain.
Squall — A sudden and sharp wind that lasts for minutes, often during rain or storms.
Starboard — The right-hand side of the boat when facing forwards (or towards the bow).
Stem — The forward most part of the bow.
Stern — The rear section of the boat.
Stern line – A line used for docking that leads from the stern.
Stow – To place an item in a suitable place on the boat, for example under a seat.
Tiller — The steering handle of an outboard motor.
Transom — The vertical section at the rear of a boat, which houses an outboard motor.
Underway — Moving, with the boat under control.
Wake — Displaced water (e.g. waves) created behind the boat.
Wash — Waves created by the boat, either behind or at its sides.