Sailboat parts

Batten

Long thin plastic strips that support the sail.

Bilge  

The bilge is the bottommost interior part of the boat. It’s usually located under the floor in the cabin.

Block

The nautical term for a pulley

Boom

A horizontal pole that attaches to the mast and is used to extend the foot of the mainsail

Bow

The forward part of a boat

Centerboard

A pivoting plate used to balance a boat and lessen leeway

Cleat

A fastening around or in which lines can be secured

Clew

Back corner of the sail.

Cockpit  

This is where the pilot of the boat or “helmsman” will steer the boat.

Deck

Top surface of the boat.

Fore-stay

Wire or line connecting the mast to the bow.

Halyard

Halyards are the ropes used to hoist and lower the sail on the mast.

Hatch

A hatch is a watertight or water-resistant door used to enter the cabin or storage compartment of a boat.

Hull

The primary structural body of a vessel, not including superstructure, masts or rigging

Keel

A boat's fixed underwater part used to prevent sideways drift and provide stability

Leech

The edge of the sail between the head and clew also known as the trailing edge.

Line

Any piece of rope on a boat

Luff

The front edge of the sail between the head of the sail and tack.

Mast

A pole placed vertically on a boat used to support sails

Mainsail

The mainsail is the principal sail on a sailboat, and it is set on the backside of the mainmast. It is the main source that propels the boat windward.

Out-haul

Line that connects to the corner (or “clew”) of the sail and pulls back to the rear of the boom

Rudder

A boat's movable underwater steering board

Shackle

A metal fitting commonly used to connect sails and halyards

Sheet

Sheets are the control lines of the sail. 

Shrouds and stays

Wires that hold the mast upright (the front one is the forestay)

Spreader

Struts attached to the mast to increase the holding power of the shrouds

Stern

A boat's afterpart

Tiller

A wooden or metal "stick" used to turn the rudder

Transom

A boat's afterpart that is square to its centerline

Wheel

A steering apparatus

Winch

A metal drum-shaped object around which lines are wrapped to make trimming them easier

 

Back to Study guide