Owner`s manual

Glossary of Terms
A-5
Appendix A
OS 385
Stringer: Longitudinal members fastened
inside the hull for additional structural
strength.
Strut: Mounted to the hull which supports
the propeller shaft in place.
Strut Bearing: See “cutlass bearing.”
Stuffing Box: Prevents water from enter-
ing at the point where the propeller shaft
passes through the shaft log.
Superstructure: Something built above
the main deck level.
Swamps: When a boat fills with water from
over the side.
Swimming Ladder: Much the same as the
boarding ladder except that it extends down
into the water.
Taffrail: Rail around the rear of the cock-
pit.
Thru-hull: A fitting used to pass fluids (usu-
ally water) through the hull surface, either
above or below the waterline.
Topsides: The side skin of a boat between
the waterline or chine and deck.
Transom: A flat stern at right angles to the
keel.
Travel Lift: A machine used at boat yards
to hoist boats out of and back into the water.
Trim: Refers to the boat's angle or the way it
is balanced.
Trough: The area of water between the
crests of waves and parallel to them.
Twin-Screw Craft: A boat with two propel-
lers on two separate shafts.
Underway: When a boat moves through
the water.
Wake: Disrupted water that a boat leaves
astern as a result of its motion.
Wash: The flow of water that results from
the action of the propeller or propellers.
Waterline: The plane of a boat where the
surface of the water touches the hull when it
is afloat on even keel.
Watertight Bulkhead: Bulkheads secured
so tightly so as not to let water pass.
Wharf: A structure generally parallel to the
shore.
Working Anchor: An anchor carried on a
boat for most normal uses. Refers to the
anchor used in typical anchoring situations.
Windlass: A winch used to raise and lower
the anchor.
Windward: Toward the direction from
which the wind is coming.
Yacht Basin: A protected facility primarily
for recreational small craft.
Yaw: When a boat runs off her course to
either side.