1. Terms you need to know on the water!
Alabama Boating Terms
Terms you need to know on the water!

2. Aground
Touching bottom.

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

4. Beam
The width or middle of the vessel.

5. Bow
The front part of the boat.

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

7. Can Buoy
A green, can shaped buoy with odd numbers.

8. Capsize
To turn over.

9. Cardinal Points
The four main points of a compass; north, south, east and west.

10. Chart
A map of a body of water that contains piloting information.

11. Current
The movement of water in a horizontal direction.

12. Displacement Hull
The type of hull that plows through the water. Usually
large slow
moving vessels.

13. Draft
The depth of the vessel below the water line, measured vertically to the lowest part of the hull.

14. Float Plan
Information left with someone concerning your boating intentions.

15. Freeboard
The vertical distance measured on a boat’s side from the waterline to the gunwale.

16. Give-Way Vessel
Required to take early and obvious action to avoid a collision when nearing another vessel.

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

18. Hypothermia
A physical condition where the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

19. Keel
The permanently positioned, fore-and-aft backbone member of a boat’s hull.
Keel

20. Nun Buoy
A conical, red buoy bearing an even number and marking the starboard side of a channel from seaward.
Remember – “red, right, returning”.

21. PFD
Personal
flotation device
(life-jacket).

22. Planing Hull
Type of hull that is shaped to lift out of the water at high speeds and ride on the surface.

23. Port
The left side
of the boat
when facing
the bow.

24. Rip Current
A strong, narrow surface current that flows rapidly away from the shore, returning the water carried landward by waves. Also called rip tide.

25. Stand-On-Vessel
The vessel required to hold course and speed when nearing another vessel.
Stand-On-Vessel

26. Starboard
The right side of the boat when facing the bow.

27. Stern
The aft or back of the boat.

28. Tide
The alternate rise and fall of waters caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon.

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

30. Vessel
Every kind of watercraft.

31. Wake
Moving waves created by a vessel’s motion. Operator is responsible for any damage caused.

32. THE END!