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The adjustment or resulting condition of a vessel’s fore-and-aft attitude, weight distribution or sail settings. Vessel trim describes the difference between forward and aft draught and can be changed by loading, ballast or fuel distribution. Sail trim describes adjustment of sheets and controls to shape and orient sails for the desired drive, heel and balance….
Adjustable surfaces at a powerboat’s stern used to alter its running trim and side-to-side attitude. Conventional trim tabs are hinged plates on the transom. Lowering a tab creates lift at that part of the stern, which can lower the bow, help the vessel reach or maintain planing attitude and correct an uneven running angle caused…
A multihull vessel with one main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls. The outrigger hulls, often called amas, are connected to the central hull by transverse structures known as akas or crossbeams. Their spacing gives the vessel high initial stability compared with a similar-width monohull. Trimarans may be sailing or powered and range from folding…
A tackle, strut or powered control that restrains or adjusts a boom’s vertical movement. Known as a kicking strap in British usage, it normally leads between the lower mast region and the boom. Tension controls leech shape and twist, particularly when the mainsheet no longer pulls strongly downward, while a rigid vang can also support…
The heel angle at which a vessel’s righting lever becomes zero after remaining positive at smaller angles. Beyond the AVS, the vessel’s intact hydrostatic stability tends to continue the capsize until another stable attitude is reached, often inverted, rather than return it upright. The value is read from the righting-arm or GZ curve for a…
The radio-frequency band from 30 to 300 megahertz, including the maritime mobile channels around 156 to 174 megahertz. Marine VHF supports voice, digital selective calling, AIS and other services on assigned frequencies and channel plans. Propagation is mainly line of sight, so antenna height, terrain, atmospheric conditions, transmitter power and receiver installation strongly affect range….
A vertical or near-vertical post supporting guard wires, rails or other perimeter barriers aboard a vessel. Guardrail stanchions are seated in bases or sockets attached to the deck and transfer lateral loads into the structure. Other specialised posts aboard may also be called stanchions, so the guardrail context distinguishes this meaning. Bent posts, loose bases,…
The relatively fixed stays, shrouds and associated fittings that support masts and other spars. Standing rigging commonly uses wire rope, rod or high-modulus fibre connected through terminals, turnbuckles and chainplates. It resists compression and bending loads in the mast and is distinguished from running rigging, which is routinely moved to hoist or control sails and…
The right-hand side of a vessel when facing forward. Starboard is fixed to the vessel and does not change with the observer’s facing direction. Its opposite is port, and the terms avoid the ambiguity of left and right when people aboard face different ways. At night the starboard sidelight is green and marks the prescribed…
The forward part of a vessel’s starboard side, or the relative direction forward of the starboard beam. As a structural location it lies towards the bow on the right when facing forward. As a lookout report, an object on the starboard bow lies in the sector between approximately dead ahead and abeam to starboard. The…
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