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23 Terms Every New Boat Owner Should Learn

If you are planning on buying a fishing boat in the near future or relatively new to the lifestyle, there are a few terms that you’re bound to run into. Some you’ve heard before but not quite sure what they mean, and some are entirely new.

Legend Boats wants you to plunge right into boating and this list of nautical terms is just what you need to get familiar your vessel and how it operates.

 

There is plenty of jargon that specifically applies to sailing, military, or other types of boats. There are also plenty of terms (like “Bail”: To Remove water from your boat) that are so commonplace that you’re already familiar. You won’t find any of those here. Instead we’ve distilled this list down to what you’ll need to know   

 

Beam: [beem]

The greatest width of the boat.

In Conversation: “Hey Dennis, the beam on that 16 Widebody is perfect for river fishing”

Beam

In Conversation: “Hey Dennis, the beam on that 16 Widebody is perfect for river fishing”

 

Bilge: [bilj]

The interior of the hull below the floorboards.

 

Bilge

In Conversation: “Wow, Legend Boat’s bilge pump sure keeps our boat dry.”

 

Bimini Top: [bimuh-nee]

Open-front canvas top for the cockpit of a boat, usually supported by a metal frame.

bimini

In Conversation: “We didn’t have to stop fishing when it started to rain because Legend Boat’s bimini top kept us dry.”

 

Bow: [bou]

The front of the vessel.

XTR-20-overhead-181x488In Conversation: “Get the kids to sit in the bow. The seating in Legend Boat’s EZ-Fold Extenda Deck is super comfortable.”

Chine: [chahyn]

The intersection of the bottom and sides of a flat or v-bottomed boat. OR, An angle in the hull.

chines

In Conversation: “The square chines Legend Boats uses on their Deep V hulls sure make our boat feel stable!”

Chock: [chok]

A fitting through which anchor or mooring lines are led. Usually U-shaped to reduce chafe.

boat chock

In Conversation: “Make sure that you feed the rope through the bow chock to make sure the line doesn’t wear through.”

Cleat: [kleet]

A fitting to which lines are made fast. The classic cleat to which lines are belayed is approximately anvil-shaped.

Boat Cleat

In Conversation: “We’re only going to be docked for awhile so use a bowline knot on that cleat when you tie it down.”

Deck: [dek]

A permanent covering over a compartment, hull or any part thereof.

v20-overhead-sketch

In Conversation: “I’m surprised at how much room there is to fish from Legend Boat’s deck.”

Fender: [fen-der]

A cushion, placed between boats, or between a boat and a pier, to prevent damage.

Fender

In Conversation: “Thank God I had fenders on my Legend fishing boat or I would have scrapped the paint off the side when I ran into the dock.”

Hull: [huhl]

The main body of a vessel.

seamless_hull

In Conversation: “Legend Boat’s 0.100 gauge aluminum hull is the thicker, stronger, better than other fishing boats.”

Helm: [helm]

A ship’s steering mechanism.

20XTR_Console1

In Conversation: “Legend Boat’s Enjoy Pontoon series helm console is gorgeous, and it even has a cell phone tray! Why don’t other manufacturers think of things like that?”


Hitch: [hich]

A knot used to tie a rope or line to a fixed object.

hitch

In Conversation: “Hey Sarah, can you hitch the boat the end of the dock over there?”

Knot: [not]

A speed of one nautical mile (1.852km) per hour.

knots

In Conversation: “I got my Legend 18 XTR up to 44 knots this weekend!”

Lanyard: [lan-yerd]

A small line used to join to anything.

killswitch lanyard

In Conversation: “This killswitch lanyard makes me feel a lot safer when the kids are in the boat.”

Moor: [moo r]

To dock a ship.

Legend Boats Dock

In Conversation: “We’re spending some time at the cottage so the Legend fishing boat will be moored at the harbour for the weekend.”

Planing: [pleyn-ing]

When the vessel is moving over the top of the water rather than through the water.

planing

In Conversation: “It only took me about 3 seconds to get my 20 XTR planing. Pretty fast for such a big solid boat.”

Port: [pohrt]

The left side of a boat looking forward. A harbor.

Starboard: [stahr-bohrd]

The right side of a boat when looking forward.

Stern: [sturn]

The back or rear of the vessel.

              Port and Starboard-1

In Conversation: “Susan! Bring the net portside, Johnny has a fish on his hook!”

In Conversation: “Look Starboard, the fish are jumping!”

In Conversation: “Hey son, head back to the stern so we can get you on that wakeboard.”

Strake: [streyk]

An additional piece of material.

Lifting Strakes

In Conversation: “The performance strakes on this Bayshore Pontoon really add a lot of speed!’

Transom: [tran-suh m]

The stern cross-section of a boat. The part of the boat that the motor is attached to.

Transum

In Conversation: “The BigWater BackEnd transom really makes it easy to do maintenance on my motor, and that extra fishing space is really nice.”

Trim: [trim]

Fore and aft balance of a boat.

How To Trim A Boat

In Conversation: “The water is shallow here. Trim that motor so we don’t hit ground.”

V Bottom: [vee botuh m]

A hull with the bottom section in the shape of a “V”.

Legend V Hull-2

In Conversation: “It’s amazing how easily Legend’s Deep-V slices through the water.”

Just like anything else in life, terminology provides a deeper understanding of what you’re working with. We hope that this short tutorial helps you understand your boat a little better which – in turn – will provide you with a deeper level of enjoyment.

 

You may have noticed that most of these terms are about the boat’s structure. If you’r interested in learning about what makes Legend Boats stand out from the competition just scroll down.

 

Manufacturing

Of course, Pontoon Boats are built a little differently. To see how we build Pontoon Boats that Canadians are dreaming about, click the button and scroll down to the “Construction” tab.

 

 

Yours in Boating, 
Legend Boats

 

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