What is a boat's draft?Ī boat's draft is the vertical distance between the boat's waterline and the bottom of its keel. The length of a boat's hull where it intersects with the water. ( Read more about why LOA matters.) What is a boat's waterline length? However, in the context of reserving a dock space or mooring, the marina needs to know your boat's literal LOA as measured from its aft-most to forward-most appendages, from the tip of your bowsprit to the back of your swim platform. The boat's branding, marketing materials, or the boat documentation that was done pre-customization may no longer have any bearing on reality. No skimping, no "Oops, when did I get a swim platform?" When reserving dockage, if the marina asks for your vessel's Length Overall (LOA), they're asking for–wait for it–the overall length of the boat. For any captain who has made a marina manager's day more hectic because they fibbed or fudged the numbers, this one's for you: This definition is somewhat controversial. Once you've reserved your dockage, a captain will put out a radio call on the marina monitors channel to let them know he is approaching, request a slip assignment if not provided via the app's Chat function, or ask for assistance.īoat Measurement Terminology What is LOA (Length Overall)? Marinas (and other boaters, harbor patrols, and the Coast Guard) monitor specific VHF channels. VHF stands for "very high frequency." On boats, the VHF is the onboard radio transmitter. What is a dock piling?Ī piling is a heavy post, like a telephone pole embedded into the seafloor and used to secure docks in place or to which boats can be tied. Different harbors label their mooring balls in different ways, and they vary by the size of vessel they can accommodate. Attached to a mooring ball generally, is a pennant, which is a length of rope with a loop at the end – the loop not only helps you grab the mooring ball's pennant using the boat's boat hook, it also is the loop through which a line will run to secure the boat to the mooring. What is a mooring ball?Īlso casually referred to as "a mooring," a mooring ball floats on the water's surface and is secured to the harbor bottom typically via a large, heavy, and permanently-installed anchor, cement block, or another immovable weight. What is linear dockage?Īs opposed to a slip a boat pulls into, linear dockage is a marina configuration that docks boats by lining them up end to end along the dock, one boat's bow to another boat's stern. In addition, you may find a dock cart for toting gear or provisions, an ice machine, and bathrooms down the dock. You may find cleats (ideally), electrical hookups, or water hookups near your slip. A marina's docks can encompass its slips, linear dockage, fuel dock, dinghy dock, and sometimes the ship's store or office. The dock can refer to the general area of the marina where the boats tie up ("Let's head down to the dock") as well the actual flat floating structure itself ("This dock is badly damaged"). What's the difference between a slip and a dock?Ī slip is a dock section in which captains park their boats. Some terms to know as you help float plan: What is a float plan?Ī float plan is a document detailing the intended agenda for the boat, including vessel, crew, and equipment information, date of departure, date(s) of arrival, fuel stops, overnights, and dockage/anchorage reservations. If you're more of a stowaway than a skipper, finding ways to make yourself useful can go a long way. Researching and securing dockage or helping keep watch while underway is a great place to start. (Not your first rodeo? Please share this with someone who might need a leg up for their first outing) Whether you're hopping aboard for your first cruise or want to brush up on your boat terminology ( LOA, anyone?), this cheat sheet will help you to decipher some on-the-water lingo. Read on to familiarize yourself with some of the more frequently used words and phrases translated into everyday English. So, you've just purchased a boat, or better yet, your friend has one, and they invite you on a cruise (the joy of OPB: Other People's Boats)! Whether a sunset sail, an overnight, or an extended adventure, the trip might be more fun if you're not completely clueless about the parts of a boat, frequent phrases, and other boating terminology.
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