Boat Plans
How to Sail ] Catamaran ] Ice Boat ] Man-Friday Raft ] Rigs ] Rough & Ready ] Single Shell Racing Boats ] Umbrella Canoe ]

 

 

 

Search  Inquiry Net

Back ] Home ] Up ] Next ]

How to Sail
Catamaran
Ice Boat
Man-Friday Raft
Rigs
Rough & Ready
Single Shell Racing Boats
Umbrella Canoe

Games of Ball
Bee Messengers
Boat Plans
Dead Bugs
Choosing Up
Counting Out
Leap Frog
Swimming
Tag
Water Periscope
Circus in the Woods
Boys' Vaulting-Poles
Woodcraft Camps
Deaf Scout Jamboree 2006
Do It Yourself Camps

Scout Books

Site Contents

By Dan Beard

Catamaran

Ice Boat

Man-Friday Raft

Rigs

Rough & Ready

Umbrella Canoe

Single Shell Racing Boats

Land-Lubber's Chapter

How to Sail

The Land-Lubber's Chapter

ohb104a.gif (4365 bytes)
Fig. 104
Top View of Small Boat

THERE are a few common terms with which all venture on the water should be familiar, not for convenience, but for prudential reasons.

Accidents are liable to happen to boats of all descriptions, and often the safety of property and life depend upon the passengers' ability to understand what is said to them by the officers or sailors in charge of the craft.

To those who are familiar with the water and shipping it may seem absurd to define the bow and stern of a boat, but there are boys who will read this page who cannot tell the bow from the stern, so we will begin this chapter with the statement that

bullet

The bow is the front end of the boat, and

bullet

The stern is the rear end of the boat.

bullet

Fore'ard  (Forward) is toward the bow of the boat.

bullet

Aft is toward the stern of the boat. Both terms are used by sailors as forward and backward are used by landsmen.

bullet

The hull is the boat itself without masts, spars, or rigging. A skiff and a birch bark canoe are hulls.

bullet

The keel is the piece of timber running along the Center of the bottom of the hull, like the runner of a skate, and used to give the boat a hold on the water, so that she will not slide sideways.

When you are sitting in the stern of a boat, facing the bow, the side next to your right hand is the right- hand side of the boat, and the side next to your left hand is the left-hand side of the boat ; but these terms are not used by seamen; they always say

bullet

Starboard for the right-hand side of the boat, and

bullet

Port for the left-hand side of the boat. 

Formerly the left-hand side was called the larboard, but this occasioned many serious mistakes on account of the similarity of the sound of larboard and starboard when used in giving order.

Red and Green Lights

After dark a red light is carried on the port side and a green light on the starboard side of all vessels in motion. If you can remember that port wine is red, and that the port light is of the same color, you will always be able to tell in which direction an approaching craft is pointing by the relative location of the lights.

When both lights you see ahead, 
Port your helm and show your red! 
Green to green and red to red, 
You're all right, and go ahead!

If you are a real land-lubber, the verse quoted will be of little service, because you will not know how to port your helm. In fact, you probably will not know where to look for the helm or what it looks like; but only a few of our readers are out-and-out lard-lubbers, and most of them know that the helm is in some way connected with the steering apparatus.

bullet

The rudder is the movable piece of board at the stern of the boat by means of which, the craft is guided. The rudder is moved by a lever, ropes, or a wheel.

ohb105.gif (10442 bytes)
Fig. 105
 Helm--Lever, or Stick for Tiller
bullet

The tiller is the lever for moving the rudder, or the ropes used for the same purpose (Fig. 105).

bullet

The wheel is the wheel whose spokes end in handles on the outer edge of the rim or felly, and it is used for moving the rudder (Fig. 106).

ohb106.gif (12147 bytes)
Fig. 106 
Helm--The Wheel
bullet

The helm is that particular part of the steering apparatus that you put your hands on when steering.

bullet

The deck is the roof of the hull.

bullet

The center-board is an adjustable keel that can be raised or lowered at pleasure.  It is an American invention.

 The center-board, as a rule, is only used on comparatively small vessels.  For sailing, the boat or bull is rigged with masts and spars for spreading the sails to catch the wind.

bullet

The masts are the upright poles or sticks that hold the sails.

bullet

The yards are the poles or sticks at right angles with the masts that spread sails.

bullet

The boom is the movable spar at the bottom of the sail.

bullet

The gaff is the pole or spar for spreading the top or head of the sail (Fig. 107).

ohb107.gif (2997 bytes)
Fig. 107 
A Sail
bullet

The sail is a big canvas kite, of which the boom, gaff, and masts are the kite-sticks. 

You must not understand by this that the sail goes soaring up in the air, for the weight of file hull prevents that; but if you make fast a large kite to the mast of a boat it would be a sail, and if you had line long and strong enough, and should fasten any spread sail to it, there can be no doubt that the sail would fly.

bbb154-.gif (67587 bytes)
[Note: Figures 130-137 Mentioned Below, 
May be Found in this Illustration from the 
Beard's Boat-Building and Boating]
bullet

The spars are the masts, bowsprit, yards, and gaffs.

bullet

The bowsprit is the stick or sprit projecting from the bow of the boat (Fig. 137, Sloop).

bullet

The foremast is the mast next to the bow--the forward mast (Fig. 135, Ship).

bullet

The mainmast is the second mast-the mast next to the foremast.

bullet

Mizzen-mast is the mast next to and back of the mainmast (Fig. 135, Ship).

bullet

The rigging of a boat consists of the ropes or lines attached to its masts and sails, but a boat's rig refers to the number of masts as well as to the shape of its sails.

bullet

Stays are strong ropes supporting the masts, fore and aft.

bullet

Shrouds, to strong ropes reaching from the mast-heads to the sides of the vessel; supports for the masts, starboard and port.

bullet

Ratlines are the little ropes that form the steps or foot ropes that run crosswise between the shrouds.

bullet

The painter is the rope at the bow of a small boat, used for the same purpose as is a hitching-strap on a horse.

bullet

The standing rigging consists of the stays and shrouds.

bullet

The running rigging, of all the ropes used in handling yards and sails.

bullet

The sheets are the ropes or lines attached to the corners of sails, by which they are governed (Fig. 108).

ohb108.gif (5244 bytes)
Fig. 108 
Sail and Sheet
bullet

The main sheet is the rope that governs the mainsail.

bullet

The jib sheet is the rope that governs the jib sail.

bullet

The gaskets are the ropes used in lashing the sails when furled.

bullet

The braces are the ropes used in swinging the yards around.

bullet

The jib stay is the stay that runs from the foremast to the bowsprit.

bullet

The bob stay is practically an extension of the jib stay and the chief support of the spars. It connects the bow of the boat with the bowsprit and prevents the latter from bobbing up and down.

Besides the port and starboard sides of a boat there are the windward and leeward sides. Do not understand by this that the boat has four sides like a square. Windward may be the port or the starboard side, according to the direction the wind blows; because

bullet

Windward means the side of the boat against which the wind blows; the side where the wind climbs aboard; or it may mean the direction from which the wind comes. The opposite side is called

bullet

Leeward--that is, the side of the boat opposite to that against which the wind blows, where the wind tumbles overboard, or the side opposite to windward. When you are sailing you may be near a

bullet

Lee Shore--That is, the shore on your lee side against which the wind blows, or a

bullet

Windward Shore--That is, the land on your windward side from which the wind blows.

All seamen dread a lee shore, as it is a most dangerous shore to approach, from the fact that the wind is doing its best to blow you on the rocks or beach. But the windward shore can be approached with safety, because the wind will keep you off the rocks, and if it is blowing hard, the land will break the force of the wind.

In a canoe or shell the boatman sit, either directly n the bottom, or, as in the shell, very close to it, and the weight of his body serves to keep the boat steady, but larger crafts seldom rely upon live weights to steady them. They use

bullet

Ballast--That is, weights of stone, lead, iron, or sand, bags used to balance the beat and make her steady.

As has been said before in this chapter, the sail is a big canvas kite made fast to the boat, and called a sail, but the ordinary kite has its covering stretched permanently on rigid sticks.

The sail , however, can be stretched to its fall extent or only partially, or it may be rolled up, exposing nothing but the masts to the force of the wind. To accomplish all this there are various ropes and attachments, all of which are named.

It is quite important that the young sailor should know the names of all the

Parts of a Sail

ohb109.gif (5382 bytes)
Fig. 109 
Parts of Sail
bullet

Luff--That part of the sail adjoining the mast-the front of the sail (Fig. 109).

bullet

Leach--That part of the Sail stretched between the outer or after end of the boom and the outer end of the gaff-the back part of the sail (Fig. 109).

bullet

Head--That part of the sail adjoining the gaff-the top of the sail.

bullet

Foot--That part of the sail adjoining the boom- the bottom of the sail (Fig. 109).

bullet

Clews--A general name for the four corners of the sail.

bullet

Clew-- The particular corner at the foot of the sail where the leach and boom meet (Fig. 109).

bullet

Tack--The corner of the sail where boom and mast meet (Fig. 109).

bullet

Throat or Nock--The corner of the sail where gaff and mast meet (Fig. 109).

bullet

Peak--Corner of the sail where the leach and gaff meet (Fig. 109).

How to Sail
Catamaran
Ice Boat
Man-Friday Raft
Rigs
Rough & Ready
Single Shell Racing Boats
Umbrella Canoe

See Also:

Tom Thumb Ice Yacht

Skate Sail Plans (Skater's Wings)

 Dan Beard's Boat-Building and Boating

[Follow Hyperlinks Below]

OHB

 

 

   

 

 


Additional Information:

How to Sail ] Catamaran ] Ice Boat ] Man-Friday Raft ] Rigs ] Rough & Ready ] Single Shell Racing Boats ] Umbrella Canoe ]

Peer- Level Topic Links:
Games of Ball ] Bee Messengers ] [ Boat Plans ] Dead Bugs ] Choosing Up ] Counting Out ] Leap Frog ] Swimming ] Tag ] Water Periscope ] Circus in the Woods ] Boys' Vaulting-Poles ] Woodcraft Camps ] Deaf Scout Jamboree 2006 ] Do It Yourself Camps ]

Parent- Level Topic Links:
Scuba ] Skills ] Games ] Shelter ] Fire ] Night ] B-P's Camping ] Hikes ] Indian ] Spring ] Summer ] Autumn ] Winter ]

The Inquiry Net Main Topic Links:
 [Outdoor Skills]  [Patrol Method [Old-School]  [Adults [Advancement]  [Ideals]  [Leadership]  [Uniforms]

Search This Site:

Search Amazon.Com:

When you place an order with Amazon.Com using the search box below, a small referral fee is returned to The Inquiry Net to help defer the expense of keeping us online.  Thank you for your consideration!

Search:

Keywords:

Amazon Logo

 

 

Scout Books Trading Post

Dead Bugs, Blow Guns, Sharp Knives, & Snakes:
What More Could A Boy Want?

Old School Scouting:
What to Do, and How to Do It!

To Email me, replace "(at)" below with "@"
Rick(at)Kudu.Net

If you have questions about one of my 2,000 pages here, you must send me the "URL" of the page!
This "URL" is sometimes called the "Address" and it is usually found in a little box near the top of your screen.  Most URLs start with the letters "http://"

The Kudu Net is a backup "mirror" of The Inquiry Net.  

©2003, 2011 The Inquiry Net, http://inquiry.net  In addition to any Copyright still held by the original authors, the Scans, Optical Character Recognition, extensive Editing,  and HTML Coding on this Website are the property of the Webmaster.   My work may be used by individuals for non-commercial, non-web-based activities, such as Scouting, research, teaching, and personal use so long as this copyright statement and a URL to my material is included in the text
The purpose of this Website is to provide access  to hard to find, out-of-print documents.  Much of the content has been edited to be of practical use in today's world and is not intended as historical preservation.   I will be happy to provide scans of specific short passages in the original documents for people involved in academic research.  

 

Last modified: October 15, 2016.