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Boat

It is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers. A boat consists of one or more buoyancy structures called hulls and some system of propulsion, such as a screw, oars, paddles, a setting pole, a sail, paddlewheels or a water jet.

Parts of a boat

The roughly horizontal but cambered structures spanning the hull of the boat are referred to as the "deck". In a ship there are often several, but a boat is unlikely to have more than one. The similar but usually lighter structure which spans a raised cabin is a coarch-roof. The "floor" of a cabin is properly known as the sole but is more likely to be called the floor. (A floor is properly, a structural member which ties a frame to the keelson and keel.) The underside of a deck is the deck head. The vertical surfaces dividing the internal space are "bulkheads". Some are important parts of the vessel's structure. The front of a boat is called the bow or prow. The rear of the boat is called the stern. The right side is starboard and the left side is port.

It is somewhat risible in modern practice to call the command area of a large boat the "bridge". It is the cockpit or wheelhouse, depending on its design.

The compartments housing a toilet, and the toilet itself, are known as the "heads", and a trip to this area is a "head call".
In the old days, cordage intended for the delicate hands of a yacht's owner was of linen, later cotton. Therefore cordage used to control a sailing boat, tends to be referred to as "line" rather than rope. Most have specific names, but in general, lines used for raising things like sails and flags are "halyards" while the principal ones for adjusting the positions of the sails are called "sheets".

All the lines and wire collectively are referred to as "rigging". That which is set up in the yard and left is standing rigging. That which is adjustable in use is running rigging. For example, a forestay is standing rigging and a sheet or a halyard is part of the running rigging.

Types of boats:

Banana boat
Bangca
Bateau
Barge
Cabin Cruiser
Canoe
Catamaran
Cape Islander
Catboat
Coracle
Cruiser
Cutter
Dhow
Dinghy
Dory
Durham Boat
Felucca
Ferry
Go-fast boat
Gondola
Houseboat
Inflatable boat
Jetboat, Jetski
Jonsboat
Junk
Kayak
Ketch
Lifeboat
Motorboat
Narrowboat
Norfolk wherry
Outrigger canoe
Padded V-hull
Pinnace
Pirogue
Powerboat
Punt
Raft
Rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB)
Rowboat, rowing boat
Sailboat, sailing boat
Sampan
Schooner
Scow
Sharpie
Skiff
Sloop
Submarine
Swift boat
Trimaran
Tugboat
U-boat
Water taxi
Whaleboat
Yacht
Yawl

See also:

Boat building
Cruising
Electric boat
Air boat
Jet boat
Jet sprint boat racing
Offshore powerboat racing
Sport
Yachting

See:
• Boat
• Boat Manufacturers
• Boat Types
• Skipjack Boat
• Mainsail
• Bermuda rig
• Watercraft
• Kayak
• Kayak Origins
• Folding Kayaks
• Recreational Kayaks
• Sea Kayak
• Whitewater Kayaking

• Adirondack Guideboat
• Airboat
• Vermont Fishing Dory

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Boat".