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package boat A new boat that comes from the manufacturer prepared for use so there is no need to purchase optional equipment. packing gland See stuffing box. paid hand A crewmember who is paid money. painter A towing or docking line at the bow of a dinghy. palm and needle A leather glove and needles used with thread for sewing. panel 1) A clearly defined section of a mast, sail, liner, or other object. 2) The control center for electrical and other switches. pant, oilcan For a boat's side or bottom to flex. parachute A type of spinnaker or flare. parallel rulers A navigation tool consisting of two wooden or plastic strips linked and held parallel by arms. It is used to transfer bearings and courses to and from the compass rose on a chart. paravane See flopper-stopper. parbuckle A device for hoisting an object onto the deck. A line or strap is secured on deck, then passed over the side and under the object, and then hauled from deck or by a halyard. As the line or strap is tensioned, the object rolls up the topsides. part 1) To break. 2) See tackle. partners The deck opening through which the mast passes. parts of the boat The hull, rigging, sails, spars, and their components. passage 1) A navigable channel between two bodies of water. 2) A nonstop trip in a boat, longer than a day from one point to the next. Passages are legs of a voyage. Passagemaking is long-distance cruising, coastal passagemaking is near shore, ocean passagemaking is offshore, on either the ocean or a large lake. passageway A corridor between cabins. patent log See log. pawl A hinged pin in a winch that keeps the winch from backing off, or turning in the wrong direction. pay off See head off. pay out To ease an anchor rode, docking line, or other long line that is under strain a long distance. Compare with let go and let fly, lose. peak In the gaff rig, the after end of the gaff. It is raised and lowered using a peak halyard. pedestal A support for a steering wheel, winch, windlass, or other gear. Pedestal steering is a streering system with a wheel on a pedestal. pelican hook A long hook that looks somewhat like a pelican's bill. pendant Pronounced "pennant". A short length of wire, chain, or line used for a specialized purpose. A mooring pendant secures the boat ot the mooring, a tack pendant raises the sail above waves. pennant A flag. Compare with pendant. performance, high-performance 1) Speed. High performance may indicate exceptionally high speed. 2) Fast. A performance (high-performance) boat is faster than other boats of her type. Performance, Handicap Racing Fleet, PHRF A handicap system used in sailboat racing. Handicaps are assigned by a committee based on observed performance. period The distance between waves. permanent backstay See stay. personal gear Equipment used or carried by an individual, for example a personal flotation device (PFD). Compare with ship's gear, which may include a life raft for the entire crew. personal watercraft, PWC A small one- or two-person jet-driven boat ridden on a saddle. One brand is the Jet Ski. PFD, personal flotation device, personal buoyancy A life-saving buoyant device worn or held by a person, including life jackets, life vests (which are less bulky than life jackets), float coats, cushions, horseshoes, and life rings. The Coast Guard categorizes them (Type I through Type V) by shape and buoyancy. Buoyancy in most PFDs is provided by foam. In an inflatable PFD buoyancy is air provided by the wearer or CO2 cartridge. See buoyancy and inflatable. phase characteristics See light. phonetic alphabet Names assigned to letters in order to prevent confusion among ones with similar sounds during radio transmissions and other communications. For example "Mike" stands for "M" and "November" for "N". pier A narrow platform providing access from the shore to deeper water. It either floats or is fixed on pilings built out into the water. A finger pier is a narrow floating pier leading off from a pier or wharf. pig stick A flagstaff on which the burgee or private signal is set. The pig stick is hoisted aloft on the flag halyard and holds the flag above the sails. piling, pile A post driven into the water's bottom and supporting a pier, wharf, jetty, dock, or float. pilot 1) To navigate near shore. Piloting, pilotage, coastal navigation, see navigate. 2) A professional seaman who navigates vessels into ports and harbors. A pilot boat takes pilots from shore out to boats waiting to enter harbor. A number of items have been inspired by pilots. A pilothouse is a cabin at or near deck level containing a steering wheel and instruments. A pilot berth is a narrow bunk under the side deck. A pilot cracker is a large, thick, pasty cracker. Automatic pilot, autopilot, see self-steerer. pilot books Government publications providing information about navigation, harbors, etc. pilot charts Publications showing probable weather conditions and current patterns in the oceans and seas. pin 1) A turning mark in a race course. 2) A clevis, cotter, or shear pin. pinch, squeeze, feather To sail so close to the wind that the sails are slightly luffing. See high. pintle A fitting for attaching an outboard rudder to a transom. It is a rod that fits into an eye (gudgeon). pitch 1) The rise and fall of the bow and stern. Compare with pound. 2) Propeller pitch, see propeller. pitchpole When a boat somersaults stern over bow. plane, planing boat Plane rhymes with "main". For a boat to skim across the water rather than plow through it. Planing boats (hulls) are lightweight and have relatively large engines or sails. Nonplaning (displacement) boats are relatively heavy ones that cannot lift out, and their speed generally is limited to their hull speed. plans See lines. play 1) Shaking due to a loose fit. Play in the helm may be due to a loose steering cable. 2) To play a sheet (play a sail) is to pay constant attention to sail trim. plot To keep track of a boat's position, track, and bearings on a chart, either manually or electronically. The plot (for example the D.R. plot) is the record of bearings and positions on a chart. A plotter (electronic or manual) is a device that assists in making a plot. plug 1) A wooden object shoved into a hole. 2) A form used to make the molds that are required in fiberglass construction. plumb Straight, vertical. On a plumb bow the stem is vertical. ply Plywood. Marine ply is especially resistant to water. pneumatic Inflatable or driven by air power. point 1) In sailing, to steer close to the wind. Pointing ability is the boat's ability to sail close to the wind. 2) A point of land is land projecting into the water. |
point ship To turn a vessel end for end at anchor or mooring using lines. points of sail Sailing directions relative to the wind. The three points of sail are running, reaching, and sailing close-hauled. polyester Synthetic white sailmaking fiber used to make mainsails and jibs. One trade name is Dacron. polyporpylene A synthetic material used to make buoyant rope and clothing. pontoon An inflated hull of a catamaran-type powerboat, for example a houseboat. pooped Filled with water by a large wave from astern. poptop A cabintop that can be raised to provide standing headroom below. port 1) The left-hand side of a boat whenthe crew is facing the bow. When a sailboat is on the port track, the wind is coming over the port side. Compare with starboard. 2) A commercial harbor. 3) See porthole. port captain A harbormaster. porthole, port A small window in a boat. Portlights Taylor Made Systems portlights are available in a variety of frame shapes, (oval, rectangle and elliptical), materials (welded aluminum, seamless stainless steel) and sizes in fixed or opening designs. They are watertight with superior water resistance. position A boat's location as plotted on a chart in terms of geographic position (longitude and latitude) or relative to landmarks and aids to navigation. Position finding is the science (and often the art) of finding where you are on the water. A dead-reckoning position (D.R.) is based on a record of the boat's speed and course. An estimated position (E.P.) is the best estimate of a boat's position based on dead reckoning and one bearing. A line of position (LOP) is a compass bearing or other charted line on which a boat is located. A circle of position (COP) is part of an arc of equal distance from a charted object. See distance off. When two or more reliable lines of position are crossed, the boat has a fixed position (fix). See navigate and plot. pound When the bow violently smashes down on the water. power, powered 1) Concerning the engine. To be under power is to have the engine on and in gear. The power plant is the engine, the power train the transmission, or linkage between the engine and propeller. To power (motor) or be under power is to make way under the force of the engine. 2) Force. To power up is to make the sails more full. Driving power is a boat's ability to sail with stability in strong winds. Holding power is an anchor's ability to be secure in the bottom. powerboat, motorboat, power vessel A boat propelled only by an egine. Compare with auxiliary. A powerboater is someone who uses powerboats for pleasure. power cruiser A powerboat with accommodations. See cruiser, express cruiser, sedan cruiser, trawler. powerful Large and capable of going fast or handling rough weather. A large, full bow is a powerful bow. powerhead The cover of the cylinders in an outboard motor. Power Squadrons, USPS The United States Power Squadrons, a national boating organization with many local and regional chapters. Power Window and Roof Systems Taylor Made specifically engineered for boats over 40 ft in length with pilot houses offering superior protection from the elements. pram A flat-bottomed blunt-bowed dinghy. pratique See quarantine. prefeeder See feeder. pressure A term for wind used by some racing sailors, usually in the context of a puff or gust. Pressure ahead means that ahead. pressure water, pressure system An onboard water system run by an electric pump. prestretched rope Rope that has been specially treated to minimize stretch. prevailing wind The wind that usually blows in a particular location. preventer A line or device that stops a boom from swinging across the boat. primaries, primary winches The largest sheet winches, which are used for the primary and most demanding task of trimming the largest jibs and spinnakers. prime meridian, Greenwich meridian, Greenwich Mean Time, GMT, Zulu The prime (Greenwich) meridian is at zero degrees longitude, at Greenwich, U.K. The time along the meridian is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, Zulu) and is the standard time for navigation and other purposes around the world. prismatic coefficient Used by naval architects and yacht designers, it is a measure of a hull's fineness. It compares the boat's actual displaced volume with the volume of a theoretical shape the length of the boat's waterline and the width of the boat's maximum beam at the waterline. A boat with a high number is full-ended, one with a low number is fine-ended. private signal, owner's flag A flat custom-designed with a unique symbol for a boat's owner. When flown it indicates that the person is on board. privileged vessel Outdated term for stand-on vessel. production boat A stock boat. profile plan A part of the lines. propeller, prop, screw, wheel The bladed device that propels a boat through the water under power. A single propeller (prop, screw) is one propeller, twin (dual) propellers are two. A slow-turning propeller is large and makes relatively few revolutions per minute, a fast-turning propeller is small and revolves more frequently. The blades on a folding propeller fold up into a tubular shape when the engine is off, in order to reduce water resistance. For the same reason, the blades on a feathering propeller turn their edges toward the water flow when the engine is off. Propeller pitch is the angel of the blade, or, more technically, the distance the propeller would travel in one rotation if there were no propeller slip, the inevitable slight loss of efficiency. With a variable-pitch propeller, the pitch is adjusted when the boat is under way, for optimum efficiency. Propeller torque is the sideways push of a propeller. A right-handed propeller turns clockwise when viewed from astern. When the engine is in forward gear, a right-handed propeller pushes the stern to starboard and the bow to port. A left-handed propeller turns counterclockwise and pushes the bow to starboard. Counterrotating propellers are twin propellers that tun in opposite directions to eliminate walk, the boat's tendency to be pushed to one side by her propellers. A propeller aperture is a notch in the keel or rudder for a propeller under water. A surfacing drive (surface-piercing drive) propeller is mostly above the water rather than below it; its blades barely touch the water. proper Correct or suitable. A proper yacht is a boat that is just right in design, construction, appearance, and finish. A propeller line (or other piece of gear) is suitable strong for the job at hand. Proper course, see course. protected Describes a harbor or other body of water that has land or a breakwater between it and deep water to block large waves. protest An allegation of a foul or infraction of the racing rules. A ruling is made after a protest hearing by the regatta's jury or protest committee. provisions Food, water, and other necessities. To provision a boat is to bring provisions aboard. prow Antiquated term for bow. puff, puffer A quick, moderate, and short increase in wind speed. Compare with gust. pulling boat A rowboat. pulpit, guardrails, liferails A steel rail around the bow or the stern. The stern pulpit is sometimes called a "pushpit". pump 1) A device for moving liquids, for example the bilge pump. Also to work a pump. 2) To trim and ease a sail rapidly to speed up a racing sailboat. pump-out station Where sewage is pumped out of a holding tank. See marine sanitation device. purchase See tackle. push See drive. pushpit Stern pulpit. PWC Personal watercraft. pyrotechnic A flare. |
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