One of the skillsets acquired while owning a boat is a new vocabulary unique to the boating experience. We’ve gathered some common terms that both amateur and seasoned captains will commonly come across.

Aft: Moving towards the back of the boat; “I’m going aft.”

Ahead: When the boat is moving forward; “We’re going ahead.”

Astern: When the boat is moving backward; “We will be moving astern when we leave.”

Bow: The front of the boat; “We’re eating at the bow.”

Cleats: Objects onboard or onshore that rope can be tied around and secured; “Tie the boat to the dockside cleats when we arrive.”

Cockpit: The open deck area at the stern of the boat; “They’re fishing from the cockpit.”

Command Bridge: A platform with a helm station located on top of vessel; “She’s up on the command bridge.”

Deck: Surfaces on the boat designed for walking; “The deck stretches through the cockpit to the bow.”

Fenders: Shock-absorbing equipment used to cushion the boat when secured to a dock; “Good thing we had the fenders when we bumped the dock a little too hard!”

Forward: Moving towards the front of the boat, “I’m going forward.”

Gunwale: The top edge of the hull of the boat; “He stood up from the gunwale when the boat started moving.”

Head: The boat’s toilet; “The head is occupied at the moment.”

Helm: The wheel that controls which way the boat steers; “She took the helm to guide us.”

Hull: The main body of the boat; “We washed the saltwater off the hull when we returned home.”

Galley: The boat’s kitchen; where food amenities are located; “Food’s ready in the galley!”

Midberth or Quarterberth: Smaller sleeping compartment, sometimes located under the dinette; “He’s napping underneath us in the midberth.”

Port: The left side of the boat, when looking towards the bow; “Keep an eye on the depth on the port side.”

Sedan: Type of boat that does not have a command bridge; “We looked at a sedan model next.”

Starboard: The right side of the boat, when looking towards the bow; “There’s a pod of porpoises starboard!”

Stern: The back of the boat; “They’re in the water near the stern.”

Swimstep: A specialized feature of each Cutwater model. A platform located at the stern of the boat, closer to the water, to help getting on and off the boat from the dock or into the water; “She easily climbed onto the swimstep.”

Thruster: Propulsion device built into the bow or attached to the stern of the ship to help maneuver in tight spaces; “The thrusters helped us align with the dock.”

Transom: The vertical wall at the stern of the ship, used to help reinforce the hull; “The cooler lid rested against the transom.”

Underway: Signifies the boat is in motion; “We’re underway!”

Windlass: Winch used to raise anchor or mooring line; “The chain wrapped around the windlass as the anchor raised.”