Parts of the boat for Beginners

Sailing / By / learn sailing, name of parts on a sailboat, parts of the boat, sailboat parts / 4 minutes of reading

What each skipper needs to know

The first step to learn how to sail a boat is to learn the different parts of the boat and basic terminology. Click on each link below to find the definition of each sailboat term.  

The “body” of the boat that floats in the water

The vertical spar in the middle of the boat from which the sails are set. 

The horizontal spar extending back from the mast The foot (bottom) of the mainsail is attached to it
The front of the boat
The left side of the boat facing forward
The right side of the boat
Part of the deck where the crew sits and the tiller is located
The back of the boat
The rudder is fastened outside the hull, usually at the stern. The rudder is usually directed by a tiller and is used to turn the boat Rudder. It operates on the principle of unequal water pressures.

A steering apparatus

The lever arm attached to the rudder that allows you to steer the boat

A fixed appendage on the bottom of a boat that provides the sideways resistance needed to counter the force of the wind.

The part of the rigging that is attached to the bow of the boat that keeps the mast from falling backward

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

The flat or slightly curved surface at the stern of the boat
Pieces of cloth, yarn or tape that indicate wind flow over a sail

A fastening around or in which lines can be secured

A metal fitting commonly used to connect sails and halyards

Any piece of rope on a boat

A line attached to a small boat’s bow used to tie it to a dock or another boat

Rigging wires extending up from the sides of the boat to the mast that keeps the mast from falling to either side

A pole of any type used to support the sails. Therefore the boom and the mast are considered spars.

The boom is connected to the mast by an articulated connection

The sail hoisted on the back side of the mast and attached to the boom

The forward sail that is attached to the forestay

The headsail is also a generic term that refers to any sail that is set forward of the mast

When a jib is so large that it overlaps the mast, it is called a Genoa

Click here to read more

A slat of fiberglass, plastic or wood inserted into a pocket in the sail to help it hold its shape
The part of the rigging, attached from the top of the mast to the stern of the boat, that keeps the mast from falling forward
A passageway from the cockpit to the area below the deck
The height of hull above waterline.

When wind passes across an airfoil, it creates lift and drag. 

Small sailboat, usually under 20 feetand open for most of its length

Widest width of the boat
The depth of the boat below thewaterline

An object that is a right angle to theboat

Anything between you and the bow of the boat

Anything between you and the stern of the boat

The sails forward edge feels the wind first. 

The corner of the sail between the luff and the leech

The bottom edge of a sail

A line that is used to raise or hoist the sail

A sheet is the primary line that controls the trim of a sail

The desirable force generated by the wind moving across the sail. 

Please click here to read more about the physics behind sailboats. 

The direction relative to the wind that the boat cannot sail

The point of sale at the edge of the no sail zone

A boat sailing across the wind

A boat sailing downwind 

Toward the wind

Away from the wind

When you turn the bow of the boat toward the wind 

Sailing on a run with the mainsail and jib on opposite sides of the boat iscalled

Sailing on a run with the mainsail and jib on opposite sides of the boat 

When you turn the bow of the boat away from the wind 

When the wind is blowing on the port side, 

When the wind is blowing on the starboard side, 

Ready about 

 

Helm’s to Leeward

Prepare to Jibe

Jibe Ho

Parts of the boat

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