Sailboat Parts

Block
The nautical term for a pulley

Boom
A horizontal pole that attaches to the mast and is used to extend the foot of the mainsail

Bow
The forward part of a boat

Centerboard
A pivoting plate used to balance a boat and lessen leeway

Cleat
A fastening around or in which lines can be secured

Hull
The primary structural body of a vessel, not including superstructure, masts or rigging

Keel
A boat’s fixed underwater part used to prevent sideways drift and provide stability

Line
Any piece of boat on a rope

Mast
A pole placed vertically on a boat used to support sails

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

Rudder
A boat’s movable underwater steering board

Shackle
A metal fitting commonly used to connect sails and halyards

Shrouds and stays
Wires that hold the mast upright (the front one is the forestay)

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

Stern
A boat’s afterpart

Tiller
A wooden or metal “stick” used to turn the rudder

Transom
A boat’s afterpart that is square to its centerline

Wheel
A steering apparatus

Winch
A metal drum-shaped object around which lines are wrapped to make trimming them easier