Nautical terms
36 of 469 terms in Lines & knots. Show all
B
- Bend Lines & knots
-
A knot that joins two lines together, such as the sheet bend.
- Bight Lines & knots
-
A loop or U-shaped bend formed by doubling a line back on itself without crossing it. The Coast Guard handbook warns never to stand in the bight of a line on deck.
- Bitt (Samson post, Sampson post, Mooring bitt) Lines & knots
-
A strong vertical post on the foredeck or stern used to secure anchor, mooring or towing lines. A single one at the bow is often called a Samson post.
- Bitter end (Running end) Lines & knots
-
The very end of a line. The Coast Guard boat crew handbook uses it for the free end you work with when tying a knot; in anchoring it usually means the inboard end of the rode that must be made fast to the boat.
Many anchors have been lost because the bitter end of the rode was not secured before letting go; BoatUS Foundation lists it as a common anchoring mistake.
- Bollard Lines & knots
-
A single heavy post on a pier, wharf or large deck to which mooring lines are made fast.
- Bowline Lines & knots
-
A classic knot that makes a fixed loop in the end of a line that will not slip or jam and is easy to untie after being loaded.
Not to be confused with the bow line, the dock line that runs from the bow.
- Breaking strength (BS, Tensile strength) Lines & knots
-
The load in pounds at which a new line parts. Knots can cut a line's strength by half or more, and a splice keeps more strength than a knot.
C
- Cast off (Let go) Lines & knots
-
To untie and release the lines holding the boat to a dock or mooring, so it can get underway; also to release a single line on command.
- Chafing gear (Chafe gear, Chafe guard) Lines & knots
-
Protective material or sleeves placed where a line rubs on a chock, rail or edge, to stop it wearing through.
The Coast Guard handbook calls for chafing gear where an anchor rode passes through the chocks, and snubber tests found lines can fail without warning.
- Chock (Bow chock, Fairlead chock) Lines & knots
-
A smooth, open or closed fitting, usually at the rail, that guides a dock or anchor line over the edge of the deck to reduce chafe and keep the lead fair.
- Cleat (Horn cleat) Lines & knots
-
An anvil-shaped deck or dock fitting with two horns, used to make lines fast. Cam or wedge cleats on sailboats hold a line ready for quick release.
higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com · boatus.com · usna.edu
- Cleat hitch (Making fast to a cleat) Lines & knots
-
The standard way to secure a line to a horn cleat: a full turn around the base, then figure-eights over the horns. The Coast Guard handbook calls for at least three figure-eights when securing a loaded line.
- Clove hitch Lines & knots
-
A quick hitch of two turns crossing over each other, used to fasten a line to a rail, spar, ring or post. A slipped version releases fast, which is handy for fenders.
- Coil (Coil down) Lines & knots
-
To gather the loose end of a line into neat loops for stowing, usually after making it fast. Three-strand line is often coiled clockwise; coiling in figure-eights avoids kinks.
D
- Dock lines (Mooring lines) Lines & knots
-
The lines that hold a boat to a dock, pier or slip: bow line, stern line, spring lines and sometimes breast lines. Nylon is common because its stretch absorbs surges.
boatus.com · higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com · boatus.org
- Double-braid line (Braid-on-braid, Double braid) Lines & knots
-
Rope made of a braided core inside a braided cover. Double-braided nylon is strong and elastic, and the Coast Guard handbook prefers it for lines that bear a load.
E
- Eye splice (Eye) Lines & knots
-
A permanent loop worked into the end of a line by tucking the strands back into it. A splice keeps much more of the line's strength than a knot and is the usual eye on dock lines and anchor rodes.
F
- Fairlead Lines & knots
-
Any fitting, such as a block, chock, ring or roller, that changes a line's direction and guides it smoothly, reducing chafe and friction.
- Fake down (Flake, Flake down) Lines & knots
-
To lay a line out on deck in long, flat loops or figure-eights so it can run out freely without kinks or tangles, for example before anchoring.
- Figure-eight knot (Figure eight, Stopper knot) Lines & knots
-
An overhand knot with an extra twist, tied in the end of a line to stop it running out through a block or fairlead.
- Flemish (Flemish down, Flemishing) Lines & knots
-
To coil a line flat on the deck in a tight spiral, like a mat, for a neat appearance. It is for tidiness, not for a line that must run out quickly.
H
- Heaving line Lines & knots
-
A light line, weighted at the end, thrown across to a dock or another boat so a heavier mooring or tow line can be pulled over with it.
- Hitch (Half hitch) Lines & knots
-
A knot that ties a line to an object such as a post, ring, rail or another line under strain. Examples are the clove hitch, rolling hitch and two half hitches.
L
- Line (Rope) Lines & knots
-
Rope in use aboard a boat. On boats, ropes are usually called lines, and each gets a name from its job: dock line, sheet, halyard, anchor line.
M
- Make fast (Belay, Secure) Lines & knots
-
To tie off or secure a line so it will hold, usually to a cleat, bitt or post. "Cast off" is the opposite: to untie and release.
N
- Nylon line (Nylon) Lines & knots
-
Synthetic line that is strong and very stretchy, so it absorbs shock loads. That makes it the choice for anchor rodes, snubbers and dock lines, where some give is wanted.
Its stretch also stores energy: if a loaded nylon line or its fitting parts, it can snap back violently. Stand clear of lines under heavy strain.
P
- Polyester line (Dacron line, Polyester, Dacron) Lines & knots
-
Synthetic line (Dacron is a common trade name) that stretches much less than nylon. Practical Sailor found a longer length can still work as an anchor snubber.
Sources disagree on strength of polyester compared with nylon — left out rather than guessed. Check your local authority.
- Polypropylene line (Polypro) Lines & knots
-
Light synthetic line that floats, but it is weaker than nylon of the same size, chafes easily and weakens quickly in sunlight.
The Coast Guard handbook says it can lose up to 40 percent of its strength in three months of sun exposure, so keep it covered and replace it often.
R
- Rolling hitch Lines & knots
-
A hitch that grips another line or a spar and holds against a pull along it, used to attach one line to another that is under strain, or to attach a snubber to an anchor chain.
- Round turn (Turn) Lines & knots
-
Passing a line completely around a post, rail or ring. A single turn goes partway around; a round turn encircles the object fully, as in the knot called a round turn and two half hitches.
S
- Sheet bend (Becket bend) Lines & knots
-
A bend for joining two lines, or a line to an eye splice, that comes apart easily even after loading. The single version joins lines of about the same size; the doubled version suits lines of unequal size.
- Snap-back (Snapback) Lines & knots
-
The violent recoil of a stretched line, or a torn-out fitting, when something parts under load. Nylon's stretch makes it especially dangerous, so never stand in line with a heavily loaded line.
- Standing part Lines & knots
-
The long, unused or made-fast part of a line, as opposed to the end you are working with when tying a knot.
T
- Thimble Lines & knots
-
A grooved metal or plastic ring set inside an eye splice so the line is protected from chafe and sharp bends where it meets a shackle or chain.
- Three-strand line (Laid line, Twisted line, Plain-laid line) Lines & knots
-
Rope made of three strands twisted together. It is easy to splice, stretchy in nylon, and the usual choice for anchor rodes and many dock lines.
higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com · boatus.org · practical-sailor.com
W
- Whipping Lines & knots
-
Turns of twine or small line wrapped tightly around the end of a rope to stop it unraveling. Temporary whippings are quick; permanent ones are sewn through the line.
General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.